MacKillop’s Year 11 students participated in the Gift of Life Walk last week to highlight the importance of organ and tissue donation.

A majority of students from the Year 11 cohort stayed back after school on Friday to complete the 5km walk and to promote DonateLife’s call for people to register as organ donors. 

The students spread the message by sharing content on their social media accounts and they were also encouraged to have conversations with their families about registering as donors through www.donatelife.gov.au. 

Principal Michael Lee contributed to the event by sharing a video on his Instagram where he talked about being an organ donor himself as well as making some light-hearted remarks about the usability (or lack thereof) of his own organs.

The walk, which is in its 16th year, is organised by Gift of Life Incorporated in conjunction with DonateLife and the Government’s Organ and Tissue Authority. It aims to promote greater community awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation by sharing the ‘Discover, Decide, Discuss’ strategy:

• Discover the facts about organ and tissue donation
• Decide to become a donor and register
• Discuss donation decision with family and friends

This was the second year running that MacKillop had hosted a Gift of Life Walk. With COVID impacting the community walk in 2021, MacKillop decided to host a walk of its own, with the idea that the Year 11 cohort would take part in the walk each year. 

Congratulations to the students of Year 11 for participating in the walk and for helping to spread the message!