Gift of Hope announces media partnership with WGN-TV to expand donor registration

Dr. Harry Wilkins, President and CEO at Gift of Hope and Ric Harris, General Manager and Vice President at WGN-TV announce a year-long partnership to expand awareness of organ and tissue donation

Gift of Hope and WGN-TV announce media partnership

Multi-platform alliance has potential to reach 3.75 million households across Illinois and Northwest Indiana

This partnership completely redefines how we engage our communities, the same communities served by WGN-TV.”
— Dr. Harry Wilkins, President and CEO at Gift of Hope

ITASCA, IL, UNITED STATES, June 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network today announced a year-long media partnership with WGN-TV designed to expand awareness of organ and tissue donation and encourage new donor registrations across Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

Through this multi-platform initiative, Gift of Hope has the potential to reach approximately 3.75 million greater Chicagoland households via television, along with millions more through WGN-TV’s digital, streaming and social platforms. The partnership supports Gift of Hope’s ongoing mission to increase donor registrations by not only educating the audience on the importance of donation, but also building their trust in the system.

Immediate need for organ and tissue donors
The need for organ donation is great. Nationally more than 109,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, including nearly 6,000 in Illinois and Indiana. The vast majority are waiting for a kidney transplant. Nearly 60% of those on the national waiting list are from multicultural communities. Another person is added to the national list every eight minutes and every day 13 people die while waiting for an organ transplant.

“Working closely with WGN-TV, allows both partners to create a meaningful dialogue to inspire hope, save lives and honor the legacy of donation,” said Dr. Harry Wilkins, President and CEO at Gift of Hope. “This partnership completely redefines how we engage our communities, the same communities served by WGN-TV.”

The partnership is designed to increase reach, engagement and impact of the importance of organ and tissue donation through a highly integrated approach.

Shared vision
Gift of Hope messaging will be featured in WGN-TV programming, supported by televised segments, website homepage takeovers, digital advertising, social media amplification and targeted email campaigns. Each activation will include Call to Actions to encourage audience engagement and measure donor registration activity.

“At WGN-TV, our most important role is connecting with and serving our community every single day. With Gift of Hope we see a shared mission of real people making a real impact,” said Ric Harris, General Manager and Vice President at WGN-TV. “This is more than a collaboration for us, but rather a true passion partnership, and we’re honored to help bring even greater awareness to such meaningful work.”

Expanding storytelling and visibility
The initiative launched during National Donate Life Month in April with a WGN-produced television segment showcasing Gift of Hope’s clinical and laboratory excellence. From there, the campaign continues throughout the year with programming and outreach efforts that align with key moments on the calendar. This includes on-location coverage of signature events such as the Gift of Hope Community Foundation Golf Outing and Celebration of Donation 5K Run, Walk & Roll, as well as storytelling and awareness campaigns tied to National Minority Donor Awareness Month and Hispanic Heritage Month.

“By working with one of the region’s most trusted media organizations, Gift of Hope deepens community understanding of organ and tissue donation and ensure the conversation remains visible and relevant,” said Marion Shuck, Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Government Relations at Gift of Hope. “This partnership allows us to meet people where they are—on air, online and in their communities by building a culture where donation turns into a shared value and a powerful way to give hope to others.”

About Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is the nonprofit organ procurement organization serving Illinois and northwest Indiana. As one of 55 OPOs nationwide, Gift of Hope partners with 180 hospitals and serves more than 12 million people. Since 1986, its work has saved more than 30,000 organ transplant recipients and improved hundreds of thousands more through tissue donation.

About WGN-TV
WGN-TV is Chicago’s Very Own source for news and entertainment and is owned and operated by Nexstar Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. WGN News programs more local news than any other Chicago TV station and can be seen on WGN-TV; the WGN+ TV streaming app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung Smart TVs; online at WGNTV.com/Live and the WGN News mobile app. In-depth local weather coverage is available on all newscasts, WGNTV.com/Weather and the WGN Weather mobile app. For more go to WGNTV.com.

Patricia A Flesher
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network
+1 847-445-0042
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.