Gift Of Hope Lights Landmarks Purple To Urge Donor Registration As 108,000 People Wait For Transplants

Rockford Landmarks To Be Lit Purple For Organ And Tissue Donation Awareness

USA: Rockford will bathe City Hall and the Morgan Street Bridge in purple April 1–5, with the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens joining the display on April 6 as part of a Gift of Hope campaign to spotlight organ and tissue donation. The public lighting is intended to raise awareness of transplant needs and the region’s role in coordinating donation and organ procurement across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Organ transplantation sits at the center of the campaign: more than 108,000 adults and children are awaiting transplants across the United States, including roughly 5,000 people in Illinois. Organ and tissue donors can be lifesaving—one donor can enable up to eight organ transplants and provide more than 75 tissue grafts—making visible reminders like the purple lighting a tool to prompt registration and conversation.

Organ procurement and transplant professionals emphasize that hospital teams always prioritize saving a patient’s life; donation evaluation and procurement happen only after lifesaving efforts have concluded and clinical criteria are met. Gift of Hope works directly with hospitals, physicians and nurses to manage procurement and the complex logistics that make transplantation possible.

Residents are being urged to register as organ and tissue donors and to discuss their decisions with family members. For more information on how transplantation and donation work and how to register, Gift of Hope offers resources on its website and through local community partners.

Video originally published on 2026-04-02 19:44:21