Saratoga County Clerk Craig Hayner Announces Donate Life Month Kickoff

This April, as Donate Life Month begins, Saratoga County Clerk Craig A. Hayner is encouraging residents to take a simple step that can have a lasting impact: register as an organ donor during their next visit to a Saratoga County Department of Motor Vehicles office. 

The Saratoga County DMV is partnering with Donate Life New York State to raise awareness about the lifesaving impact of organ, eye, and tissue donation and to encourage more residents to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry. 

Donate Life NYS is the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing organ, eye, and tissue donation through advocacy, education, research, and outreach. 

Statewide, more than 80% of donors enroll while completing a transaction at a DMV. Saratoga County residents can register when applying for or renewing a driver’s license, permit, or non-driver ID. Anyone age 16 or older is eligible to enroll, regardless of medical history. 

“We all have the opportunity to leave a legacy that reaches far beyond our own lives,” Hayner said. “Registering as an organ donor is a simple, meaningful way to do that.” 

More than 3,200 lifesaving organ transplants were performed in New York State last year, yet approximately 8,000 New Yorkers remain on the national transplant waiting list. In 2025, roughly 300 patients in New York died while waiting for an organ that did not arrive in time. 

The 2026 Donate Life Month theme, “Leave a Legacy,” uses trees as a symbol of life and connection, reflecting how donation links donors, recipients, and families, and how one decision can continue to grow and impact lives for generations. 

Locally, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors recently passed a resolution recognizing April as Donate Life Month and encouraging employees across county departments to participate in Donate Life’s “Blue and Green Day” on April 10. 

Saratoga County’s enrollment rate has steadily increased since the County DMV began promoting Donate Life Month in 2014. According to Donate Life NYS, 77% of the county’s eligible population was enrolled in the registry at the end of 2025, compared to just 39% in 2013. 

“It’s incredibly encouraging to see how far our county has come,” Hayner said. “But there is still more work to do. Every new registration brings us one step closer to ensuring that no one is left waiting for the lifesaving gift they need.”