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REMARKS BY: TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLACE: Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks, Grand Lodge Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania DATE: July 11, 2001
Coming to Philadelphia is always a pleasure. I know President Bush greatly appreciates the city for many reasons, not the least of which is that last summer he was nominated here to be President. He spent much of the Fourth of July here last week, as well, attending a block party for youth and families involved in mentoring programs sponsored by churches and charities.
While here, the President spoke at Independence Hall about the vision of our nation's founders as embodied in the Declaration of Independence, a vision that has ensured us what he called, and I quote, ''freedom and opportunity unequaled in the world."
Freedom and opportunity are principles the Elks have long stood for. But the President has also celebrated another virtue you have upheld - compassion. The Elks are part of what President Bush calls "the armies of compassion," the private sector charities that do so much to make our society strong and decent.
Your efforts on behalf of organ donation flow from your commitment to compassion. And that's why I appreciate your letting me discuss this important issue with you today.
This year's Grand Exalted Ruler, Dwayne Rumney of Willmar, Minnesota, has kept me well informed about the Elks's activities regarding organ donation. This is one of many areas where Dwayne has served the Elks well. His departure will be a loss to all of us, but especially those of us from Wisconsin who tell Minnesota jokes.
Of course, in Wisconsin - home of the Green Bay Packers - we have long-standing rivalry with the Minnesota Vikings.
I'm reminded of the Packer fan who was visiting an Elks lodge in Minnesota, eating dinner with some friends. This packer fan leaned over to a fellow next to him and said, "Wanna hear a joke about a Vikings fan?"
Well, the Minnesota fellow said, "Before you tell that joke you should know something. I'm six feet tall and 220 pounds, and I'm a Viking fan. The guy sitting next to me is six-two, 240 pounds, and he's a Viking fan, and the guy sitting next to him is six-five, 280 pounds, and he's a Viking fan too. Now, do you still wanna tell that joke?"
The Packer fan said, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it three times."
Dwayne, thank you for your service. I'm certainly looking forward to working with your successor from New Jersey, the designated President, Art Mayer. Congratulations, Art.
Art, if we're going to talk football, I want you to know one of the best moves the giants ever made was drafting Ron Dayne from Wisconsin a few years ago. You're lucky to have him playing at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
Of course, my friend the Grand Chaplain, Father Kevin Cassidy, of Cross Plains, Wisconsin, has brought me up to speed about everything going on back home. I'm glad to see all my friends from the great state of Wisconsin.
Including a new friend, Cole D. Ruby of Oshkosh, who was the first place boy winner in the Elks "Most Valuable Student" national scholarship program. Cole is receiving a $60,000 scholarship to cover four years of college.
. In fact, of the six top scholarships awarded by the Elks this year, three went to Wisconsin students. Heidi Gneiser of Berlin was a second place winner. Like Cole, she was sponsored by Lodge 292. And Jennifer Lange, representing Lodge 1460 in Platteville, was a third-place winner.
I am going to name all six winners, because all their achievements deserve recognition. Heather Jones from Plano-Richardson Lodge 2485 in Texas was the first-place girl winner. Congratulations, Heather. Eric Wu from the Phoenix-West Lodge 2729 is the other second-place winner, and Curtis Wray from Ord, Nebraska Lodge 2371 was the other third-place scholarship winner.
Let's make sure to give credit to the students and their families, who have already accomplished so much.
Let me also give credit to all of you in the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks. Nationally, the scholarship program awarded $2.2 million to 500 students this year, in many cases making college a possibility.
These scholarships represent the historic Elks tradition of charitable giving. I see where the total has reached $3 billion since the Elks were founded in 1868. Three billion dollars! Even after spending five months in Washington, I still understand that's real money!
Well, today I'm here to talk about another way of giving, one that carries no dollar amount, but provides something of immeasurable value - the gift of life. I am talking, of course, about organ donation.
All across the country, businesses, labor unions and organizations like the Elks are taking on an increasingly active role in support of organ donation. The Elks efforts are especially important because you reach every corner of America. All 50 states. Elks are community leaders, and you have always led by example.
We desperately need that kind of leadership on the issue of organ donation, because it means saving lives. There are more than 76,000 Americans on the national waiting list for organs - and that number grows by more than 300 people each month.
More than 5,500 patients died in 1999 while on that waiting list. That's 15 people every day. In a nation as compassionate and generous as ours, that's just not acceptable. This is the good news: Last year, nearly 23,000 organs were transplanted. That's a more than 50 percent increase over the past decade. Yet, even with this increase, we are falling behind. As the number of transplants has gone up, the waiting list has grown 250 percent. We've got to build greater public awareness of the urgent need for organ donors and how the process works. The Elks initiative is a great example of what groups can do. You are now printing organ donor cards on the back of your membership cards, reaching more than 1.1 million Americans. Let me tell you how much I appreciate that commitment. It's typical of the Elks, and it speaks to what's best about America. The decision to promote organ donation in the Elks Magazine and local Lodge bulletins will also bring this important message into tens of thousands of homes across the United States. Few can equal the kind of reach the Elks have. You are part of a growing movement to raise awareness about organ donation. It's a commitment I have made at the department of Health and Human Services, and many groups across the country are joining us. In April, we launched the national "Workplace Partnership for Life," in which employers, unions and other employee organizations will join in a nationwide network to promote donation. The workplace is a great environment to get across the need for donation. With employers and employees working together, we can literally save thousands of lives. This includes not only large corporations and unions, but also the local employer and the small staff of employees.
And now, the Elks are becoming part of the "Workplace Partnership for Life." Congratulations, and thank you. You are the first national fraternal organization to join the partnership, again demonstrating the kind of leadership we see from Elks nationwide.
As individuals, as Elks and as community leaders, you can be powerful advocates for organ donation in each of your states. Let me tell you a story that demonstrates how.
Kelly Nachreiner was a teenager from Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, who died in a car accident shortly after she received her driver's license. Before she died, however, Kelly had signed the back of her driver's license - a selfless decision that allowed her to become an organ donor and to save the lives of two people from Wisconsin and a woman from Kansas.
Kelly's parents wanted to make sure people would remember and follow their daughter's generous act, so they pushed for a bill that would require every student attending a driver education class to receive at least 30 minutes of instruction relating to organ and tissue donation.
We enacted Kelly's law in Wisconsin, and I would like many more states to make use of this kind of curriculum.
We are now preparing a model curriculum at the Department of Health of Human Services to offer to states and local school systems. I urge you to help create a similar program in your states. Please, ask your local legislator to take up this important cause. Talk to your school board members about 30 minutes of instruction can save lives.
I know many of you have filled out organ donor cards, and to you, I say thank you. To those of you who have not, please, consider becoming a donor. Fill out a card. And make your wishes known to your loved ones.
Did you know that family refusal is the most common reason that organs from potential donors are not recovered? National polls indicate that close to 95 percent of all Americans are willing to donate their organs if they are asked and yet only half of families say "yes" when they are approached.
Decisions about organ donations are often made at moments of great pain and stress. By letting your family know you want to be a donor, you can help ease that difficult moment and ensure that the donation is completed.
One organ and tissue donor - only one - can help up to 50 people. One person's heart can beat for someone else.
Their lungs can breathe for someone else. Their kidneys could free two people from dialysis. Their liver could save the life of a patient waiting for a transplant. Corneas can give sight, skin can give renewed hope to a burn victim.
I assure you, I don't want any of my brother Elks to die. But let's think of this in political terms. If you were dying and your organs had a chance to vote, you can be certain your eyes would vote to continue to be able to see the beauty of this land. Your heart would want to continue to beat in somebody else's body and that lovely kidney and liver would want to continue to enjoy great Wisconsin cheese and milk.
Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Organ donation is a gift that will never be taken for granted. It is never forgotten. It proves beyond a doubt that out of tragedy can come hope. Out of death, new life.
Through your good efforts, the Elks are embracing that gift of life. I congratulate you, and wish you great success in this important project.
Thank you, and good luck with the remainder of the convention.