The first resource a donor family would come into contact with is
the local donation agency or organ procurement organization
(OPO)
. Many OPO's have someone on staff who serves as a
liaison to donor families, answering questions, forwarding letters
to and from the family (if the family elects to receive
communications from the recipients), and other functions, such as
organizing memorial services for all the donor families in the
region, donor family committees, memorials such as gardens or
tree plantings, memorial books, a handmade quilt, or other
tributes to the families' loved ones., etc. There may be a local
donor family support group, and (more commonly) local grief
support groups.

Every year the Department of Health and Human Services,
through the Division of Transplantation at the Health Resources
and Services Administration, in conjunction with the National
Donor Family Council, holds a donor family weekend with
seminars and sharing sessions designed specifically to address the
needs of donor families. The weekend culminates with the
National Donor Recognition Ceremony, which commemorates
the lives of those who were organ or tissue donors.

The National Donor Family Council was formed in 1992 to
advocate for and support donor families, including assessing
donor families' needs, developing programs for families and
professionals, developing guidelines for the care of donor families,
and improving communication and collaboration to increase
donation awareness. It is comprised of donor family members,
friends, and professionals in the field of transplantation and
donation. The Council's current projects include workshops, an
active Internet presence, the development of local councils, and
many public awareness, research, educational, and support-related
efforts, including a booklet and a newsletter titled
"For Those Who Give and Grieve." For more information, visit
the Council's web page at
http://www.kidney.org/recips/donor/intro.cfm.
 
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