#CupOfLife Campaign Expands to Register More Organ Donors During Donate Life Month

By Noel Sanchez Posted March 22, 2019 In News

(San Jose, CA) March 23, 2019 – The #cupoflife, an innovative campaign that promotes organ donation at Lee’s Coffee stores throughout California and on social media, has launched for the second straight year. The success of the 2018 campaign attracted an additional nine locations to participate located in both the Donor Network West and OneLegacy organization’s donation service areas in Northern California and the Greater Los Angeles area, respectively.

April is National Donate Life Month, dedicated to promote organ donation as a way to save lives. As part of this campaign, Lee’s Coffee customers receive cups that feature round pink stickers with the question Got the Dot? An embedded pink dot on the California driver’s license indicates the individual’s decision to be an organ donor.

The 24 participating stores, located mostly in Vietnamese and Hispanic neighborhoods, will display promotional materials in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The materials encourage customers to take a selfie with the cup or any of the co-branded items and post the picture on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #cupoflife. The 13 stores in Northern California include locations in San Jose, Milpitas, Hayward, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Every week in April, three individuals who shared their picture will be chosen at random to win a $50 prize package from Lee’s Coffee. The winners will be announced on Lee’s Sandwiches, Donor Network West, and OneLegacy’s social media accounts.

In 2018, the #cupoflife hashtag generated over 100,000 social media impressions on Donor Network West’s social media platforms. For the 2019 campaign, an eCampaign was created on the Donate Life California website with the goal of signing up 100 organ donors to the state-authorized organ, eye, and tissue donor registry.

“Everyone has the power to save a life. The partnership with Lee’s Coffee opens the door for conversations about organ donation in key communities, one cup of coffee at a time,” says Janice F. Whaley, Chief Executive Officer of Donor Network West.

The #cupoflife’s kickoff event will take place on March 23 at the Vietnamese American Community Center in San Jose. Participants include Ms. Whaley, local political figures, community leaders, as well as leadership and staff from Lee’s Coffee, Donor Network West, and OneLegacy.

“We are proud to partner with Donor Network West and OneLegacy in this joint effort to raise awareness in the community for life-saving donations of organs and tissues,” says Chieu Le, CEO of Lee’s Coffee.

Nearly 10,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in Northern California and Nevada. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people and a tissue donor can heal 75 others. Anyone can register as a donor at DonorNetworkWest.org or at the DMV.

About Donor Network West
Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation. The organization was established in 1987, and is an official Donate Life organization accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). Federally designated to serve 40 counties in Northern California and Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries. For information, visit DonorNetworkWest.org and follow us on social media: @mydnwest

About Lee’s Sandwiches
Founded in 1983 in San Jose, California, Lee’s Sandwiches is a quick-serve restaurant chain specializing in Bánh Mì, Vietnamese sandwiches and other Euro-Asian food products. From its beginnings as a food truck, Lee’s Sandwiches is now the largest Bánh Mì chain with over 60 locations in Arizona, California, Las Vegas (Nevada), Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia. Lee’s Sandwiches is best known for its fresh and high-quality Euro-Asian sandwiches (Bánh Mì) and gourmet coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá), among other products. More at www.leesandwiches.com.