Give the Gift of Life on Saturn National Donor Day - Feb. 14 DETROIT, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- On and around Feb. 14, 2004, hundreds of participating Saturn retailers will host the seventh annual Saturn National Donor Day -- a national campaign to encourage blood, marrow and blood stem cell, organ and tissue donation, as well as create awareness about the importance of a signed and witnessed donor registration card. It is the largest one-day lifesaving donation drive in the United States. Saturn Corporation, its United Auto Workers (UAW) partners and many of the nation's leading non-profit health organizations will partner to encourage people and communities to incorporate donation into their Valentine's Day activities. This is not a one-day event, however. Saturn is encouraging people to make donation a part of their life every day. The need for donation is significant: - More than 80,000 people in the United States are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. - On average, 18 people die each day because necessary organs are not available. - Approximately 30,000 patients each year are diagnosed with leukemia or other blood diseases that are potentially treatable with marrow cell transplants -- but just one in three will find a donor match within their family. - Blood transfusions save approximately 10,000 people every day in the United States, but blood is typically in short supply during February. "Lives are saved every day by blood, tissue and organ donations, and we are actively working to save many more," said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn vice president of sales, service and marketing. "I applaud our Saturn retailers for taking the initiative to make this program a success each year." Saturn National Donor Day activities also emphasize the importance of letting family members know of a donation decision. Chris Klug, an Olympic pro-snowboard medalist and liver transplant recipient, is a spokesperson for the 2004 campaign: "My life was saved by the incredible generosity of a donor family I had never before met, and that act of kindness enabled me to resume my athletic career and bring home an Olympic medal for my country. I encourage everyone to commit to lifesaving donation and equally important, discuss that decision with your family." Another spokesperson, Cy Young award-winning pitcher Barry Zito of the Oakland As, knows just how important donation can be -- his mother received a liver transplant in 1999. "It is hard to imagine a greater generosity than giving life itself," Zito said. "We are eternally grateful and we encourage every American family to commit to donation." Tommy Thompson, the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services, lends his support each year. Inaddition, Ken Howard of NBC's Crossing Jordan and Trey Schwaub a coach at Marquette University speak on behalf of the program. Participation in Saturn National Donor Day is simple and easy: - Organ and tissue donation pledge cards will be available at all Saturn retail facilities. - Many Saturn retailers will offer marrow testing to join the National Marrow Registry -- it's a simple blood test and anyone between the ages of 18 and 60, and in general good health, can join the registry. - Blood drives will be held at many Saturn locations and, where not available, blood donation may be pledged for a later date or different location. Organizers hope to collect the 50,000th unit of blood since Saturn National Donor Day first launched in 1998. In addition, more than 8,000 potential marrow donors have been added to the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, and 10 potentially lifesaving marrow matches have occurred so far from Saturn Donor Day registrants. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and 16 national non-profit partners, as well as hundreds of local blood banks and community health organizations, help make the Saturn National Donor Day possible. The national non-profit partners include: American Association of Blood Banks; American Liver Foundation; American Society of Transplant Surgeons; America's Blood Centers; Association of Organ Procurement Organizations; Children's Organ Transplant Association; Coalition on Donation; Emergency Nurses Association; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America; LifeSouth Community Blood Centers; The Marrow Foundation; National Kidney Foundation; National Marrow Donor Program; and the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program. More information about Saturn National Donor Day can be found at any participating Saturn retail location. Information also is available by visiting http://www.saturn.com/ or http://www.saturnuaw.com/ . DATASOURCE:Saturn Corporation CONTACT: Cindy Kamerad of Hass MS&L, +1-248-458-8372, Email: ; or Sue Holmgren of Saturn Communications, +1-313-665-4233, Email: Web site: http://media.gm.com/ http://www.gm.com/ http://www.saturn.com/ http://www.saturnuaw.com/

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