Why this DMV Bleeds Blue & Green

“Well, this is a story all about how …”

The opening line from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air repeated through Donna Moore’s mind as she thought about what theme to choose for her DMV’s Blue and Green Day video.

Donna, a customer service rep at the Christiansburg DMV Customer Service Center (CSC), wanted to submit a video for Donate Life Virginia’s partnership celebration with the DMV. Though she had watched the Fresh Prince before, it wasn’t the show – but the opening lyrics that provided inspiration as she worked on ideas for an organ donation awareness video.

“The song starts with ‘this is a story all about how’ and that’s really what this is,” she said. “It’s a story about how you can become an organ donor.”

Donna brought the idea to her coworkers and they eagerly agreed to create a parody rap video for Blue and Green Day.

Rhiannon Emerson, who’s been in the office for five years, worked with Donna on the project and said it was a fun and memorable approach to organ donation.

“We wanted to put that fresh spin on a serious subject,” she said. “We wanted something that popped but not in a downer-kind of way.”

 

“The song starts with ‘this is a story all about how’ and that’s really what this is,” she said. “It’s a story about how you can become an organ donor.”

Donna, Rhiannon and the other Christiansburg CSC participants shot the video in one take and had a great time doing it.

“We loved doing it so if we look silly, it’s okay,” Donna said. “It’s for a good cause.”

‘You give what you can’

All DMV offices work with Donate Life Virginia, but the Christiansburg branch is especially committed to charity work in general.

When she works on charity projects, Rhiannon tells her coworkers “You do what you can, you give what you can, you participate what you feel.”

The fact that Rhiannon doesn’t have any personal experience with organ donation does nothing to dampen her enthusiasm. “I tell them that anyone can end up in a position of need,” she said.

As for Donna, she’s experienced organ donation through three people – a cousin who received a kidney, a friend who got a new liver and a coworker whose granddaughter was born with a heart condition and is now thriving as a 3-year-old with a heart transplant.

Signing up as an organ donor is “a neighborly thing you can share,” she said. “It’s a gift of life.”

“If we’re not afraid to donate then they won’t be.”

Check the box…

DMV customers can check the organ donor box when they apply for, or renew, their driver’s licenses and IDs. Rhiannon said the participation rate is about 50/50 among locals and that since the box is easy to overlook on the form, she and her coworkers always ask customers if they want to sign up. Donna added that she sometimes shares with hesitant customers that she’s signed up herself and that her family knows her wishes.

“If we’re not afraid to donate then they won’t be,” she said.

… Or check online

For customers still unsure, the staff explains they can visit the Donate Life Virginia website to sign up at any time. As for the staff, Rhiannon makes sure to let them know that their efforts at donation awareness are important.

“I tell them ‘thanks for all you do to make a difference,’” she said. “Everyone likes to be appreciated.”