Basketball great ALONZO MOURNING, who has overcome tremendous obstacles to become a world champion on and off the court, has agreed to become a spokesman promoting a new Florida specialty license plate, designed to promote organ and tissue donor awareness and fund research, transplant patient services and education.

Created and sponsored by The Transplant Foundation, affiliated with the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, the specialty tag–Donate organs. Pass it on. is now available at County Tag Agencies, Tax Collector offices and online through the Transplant Foundation at www.transplantfoundation.org.

“I owe my livelihood, and more importantly my life, to the fact that someone donated an organ to replace the one that had failed me,” said Mourning, who was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2000 and had a kidney transplant in 2003. “Now Floridians have the opportunity to help save someone else’s life. And who knows? Maybe some day their own.”

Currently in his fourteenth season in the NBA with the NBA Champion Miami HEAT, Mourning was diagnosed with a genetic disorder, Focal Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a degenerative kidney ailment in 2000. The diagnosis led to a temporary retirement from the NBA and a transplant in December of 2003.

“I feel great,” said Mourning, who returned to basketball to help the HEAT win a world championship in 2006. “I’m competing with some of the world’s greatest athletes. Some say my recent accomplishments prove that I have the heart of a champion. What I know for sure is that I have the kidney of a real champion, an organ donor.”

As spokesman, Mourning will lend his name and image to a multi-media advertising and promotional campaign, according to Allan Kolsky, a Miami developer, who became an ardent supporter for organ donor awareness after receiving a life-saving liver transplant.
Six years ago Kolsky received a liver transplant at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Shortly after his transplant, he became a member of the board of directors of the Transplant Foundation, Inc. Since 2004 as president of the foundation, he spearheaded a campaign to create a specialty license plate to raise funds to support the foundation’s programs.
The license plate, which former Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed into law this summer and the Florida Cabinet approved this past fall, symbolizes a new beginning and new life with a beautiful, bright sunrise reflecting against the Atlantic Ocean.
Eli Compton, Executive Director of the Transplant Foundation, said the plate will not only raise much-needed funds to support transplant programs around the state, but will also increase public awareness and increase organ and tissue donation.

“Currently there is a critical need for organ and tissue donors. More than 90,000 people are presently on an organ donor waiting list. An average of 17 people die each day waiting for a transplant. This license plate will save more lives.”

The specialty tag will cost $25 more than a standard tag. Additional fees may apply.
The revenues from the sale of the plates, according to Compton, will be used in the areas of research, patient services and education. Tampa, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando and Miami offer medical facilities specializing in transplants.

Transplant Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) dedicated to funding patient services, public education to increase organ donation and lifesaving transplant research. The goal is to provide the Gift of Life to all in need.
For more information, please contact Transplant Foundation at 1-866-901-3172 or visit www.transplantfoundation.org.

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My fellow Floridians,
“There is no greater, kinder, nobler act than to save the life of another human being.”
More than 90,000 people are presently on an organ donor waiting list
17 people die each day waiting for a transplant
Every 13 minutes another person has a life-threatening organ failure

You can help. Pass along this e-mail to your family, friends and business associates.
License plate revenues will be allocated to transplant patient services, organ and tissue donor education programs and medical research.
Thank you,
Alonzo Mourning