Gov. Linda Lingle has released a $50,000 grant-in-aid to the Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i. The funds will allow the center to expand its Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP) — now serving Filipino communities — to include native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, according to a news release issued by the governor's office.

The Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i is the only federally designated private, non-profit charitable organization authorized to recover organs and tissues for transplant in Hawai'i. Its MOTTEP program educates minority communities about organ and tissue donation and transplants in an effort to increase the number of minority donors in the state. Currently, minorities make up about 50 percent of all Hawai'i residents on the national transplant waiting list.

"The Organ Donor Center of Hawai'i is always looking for more donors to help the tens of thousands of Hawai'i residents on the waiting list for a transplant," Lingle said. "This grant will help the center expand its education efforts so that more residents are aware of the need for transplants and will be inspired to make a decision that could save another person's life."

The grant will fund the entire cost of expanding the MOTTEP program in Hawai'i and includes $19,500 for personnel costs; $25,500 for public education and marketing expenses; and $5,000 for equipment and supplies.