It’s Organ Donor Awareness Day in and around Chicago.

Cook County board officials have adopted a resolution giving Tuesday that designation as a way to educate area residents about organ donations.

County officials say that there are more than 5,000 people waiting for organ transplants in Illinois.

Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele was the recipient of an organ donation himself last year. He says his experience drove home the importance of educating area residents about the organ-donation process.

The non-profit organization, the Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, has taken a leading role in the issue, It’s the federally designated organ-procurement group that coordinates organ donations in the northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.