There are certain gifts you receive in life that may seem priceless, such as a piece of jewelry or trinket from a loved one. But then there's the promise of a gift we all can give that's so precious, and all you have to do is register.

That gift is the gift of life.

In Virginia alone, nearly 2,700 people are in need of an organ transplant to save their life. Of these, four die each day waiting for a transplant that did not arrive in time.

This weekend as part of Donate Life Month, the Retail Merchants Association (RMA) is joining the Donate Life Partnership for Retailer's 4 Life Donor Sign-Up Day, an event where as customers pour into some of their favorite shops, they will have the ability to sign up for more than just credit cards.

The Donate Life Partnership consists of organizations in Richmond and across the nation including the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Donate Life America, LifeNet Health, Old Dominion Eye Foundation and Minority Organ Tissue Transplantation Education Program of Richmond.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19, Donate Life volunteers will be available at participating stores with sign-up sheets for those hoping to take on the worthwhile cause of becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor.

A list of participating retailers is available at www.retailmerchants.com.

"Organ and tissue donors make a miraculous commitment," Marcia Manning, director of community affairs at UNOS, said at a news conference Monday. "They are living proof that a terrible loss can become the greatest gift of all."

People of all ages and medical histories are encouraged to consider themselves as potential donors and to register. The facts are clear – one person can save seven lives through heart, liver, kidney, lung, pancreas and small intestine donations.

According to UNOS, approximately 65 percent of all Virginians are registered as organ and tissue donors. However, this partnership between RMA and the Donate Life will work as a movement to make the state of Virginia No. 1 in the U.S. for organ and tissue registrants.

Also on Monday, organ recipient Haden Hopkins shared his moving experience as a heart recipient and the struggles he endured while on the waiting list. After close to a four-hour transplant surgery on July 31, 2007, Hopkins has remained healthy and hopes to return to school to become a transplant coordinator, a job he believes he "certainly qualified for."

Nick Schiaffo also spoke on the death of his 10-year-old son due to childhood brain cancer. Although it's clear from his tearful story that his family suffered a tragic loss, they know he still lives through the eyes of others.

"Daniel [my son] had the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen," Schiaffo said, "Those corneas now live on in two individuals. One, a 13-year-old boy in the state of California and the other, a 43-year-old woman, right here in Virginia."

"I don't know of any other individuals or companies who can get up in the morning and go to bed at night and say, 'I made a difference,'" Schiaffo said. "I encourage everybody to become an organ, tissue and eye donor. There is no greater gift, and there is no greater act of love, than an individual can give than the very precious gift of life.

• Retailer's 4 Life Donor Sign-Up Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19. A list of participating retailers is available www.retailmerchants.com and individuals wishing to become donors may also do so confidentially online at www.save7lives.org.