The
new plate is a joint effort between White's office and
the Chicago Bears organization in which the sale of the
plates will raise funds to promote organ donor awareness
programs. The plate will have a blue background with
orange letters and white print, which will read "Be
An Organ Donor." The far left side of the plate will
read "Life Goes On," the organ donation logo, a
football with Hall-of-Famer Payton's number 34 and then
the words "Walter Payton Chicago Bears."
Chicago City Clerk Jim Laski also
announced that inserts included in the city vehicle
registration mailing produced 13,000 city residents who
signed up as organ donors.
"Walter Payton's incredible
display of courage brought much-needed attention to the
subject of organ donation and this license plate will
serve as an everlasting reminder to everyone that we have
an opportunity to provide others with a second chance at
life," White said.
"I am very pleased that
Walter's legacy is an important part of the organ donor
program and the effort to save lives," Mrs. Payton
said.
White commended the Payton Family
and the Chicago Bears for their efforts and State Senator
Walter Dudycz (R-Chicago), sponsor of the legislation
that called for the plate creation. He noted that two of
Payton's teammates, Dennis McKinnon and Otis Wilson,
traveled to Springfield to successfully gather support
for the license plate legislation.
Illinois motorists will be able to
obtain the plate for their automobiles by paying the $78
registration fee and an additional $25. Of each $25, a
total of $23 will go to organ donation awareness.
"There is a critical need for
organ and tissue donors nationwide, and I am proud of the
enormous response to the donor registration inserts by
Chicagoans," Laski said.
The decision to include organ
donation inserts coincided with the theme of last year's
City of Chicago Vehicle Sticker Design Contest which was
"Life Goes On, Be An Organ Donor."
A design contest was held for
Chicago high school students, and the winning sticker
features Payton walking into the sunset.
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