Colorado Springs Sky Sox to Receive National Award

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO--(Marketwired - August 09, 2013) - The Colorado Springs Sky Sox have been awarded a Donate Life Champion award from Donate Life America, a national coalition dedicated to promoting eye, organ and tissue donation. The award is given to select members of the athletic community that have inspired others to give the gifts of life through donation. The presentation of the award will take place before the game on August, 13, 2013.

The Sky Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, partnered for the second year with the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank on July 14, 2013 for an event to honor those in the community that have given the ultimate gift, the gift of life. It was also an opportunity to educate the public that anyone can still sign up to be an eye, organ and tissue donor regardless of his/her age, health or lifestyle. Research has shown that age, health and lifestyle concerns are the most common reasons that people do not sign up to be donors.

Other event features included an auction of game-worn jerseys, with proceeds going to further donor education in the community. The jerseys showcased a photo of Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods that was taken by a local corneal transplant recipient after her sight was restored.

Tony Ensor, Sky Sox president and general manager, said, "The Sky Sox are honored to receive this award. Our goal when partnering with a great organization like the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank is to educate and bring awareness to the needs in our community and hopefully make a difference in lives in the Front Range Community and beyond."

Robert Austin, public and professional relations manager at the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, said, "While Colorado has one of the highest percentages of licensed drivers that are registered as eye, organ and tissue donors, there are still many that want to help others in this way but don't sign due to age, health or lifestyle concerns. Events like this give us the opportunity to let these people know that anyone can sign up and we will take care of determining medical eligibility when the time does come."

To sign up to help others through eye, organ and tissue donation or for more information, please visit www.corneas.org/skysox.

The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank was established as a nonprofit organization in 1982 to facilitate the donation and transplantation of eye tissues in Colorado and Wyoming. Its mission is to fulfill the wishes of eye donors and their families to help another overcome blindness through transplantation and medical research.