Southern Legacy of Life (SLL)

Southern Legacy of Life (SLL), formerly known as the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency (ARORA), is a nonprofit organ and tissue procurement and transplantation services organization based in Arkansas. The organization plays a vital role in the donation system, with the mission “to restore lives through the recovery of organs and tissue for transplant.” SLL services most of the counties in the state and also serves surrounding states.

ARORA was founded in 1987, a result of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network that was created from the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984. Prior to its founding, organ and tissue recovery efforts were done across surrounding states, creating a need for a locally owned organization to consolidate efforts. SLL is governed by a board of directors and advisory council. Serving under the board and council is the chief executive officer, who oversees all the departments that work to ensure that donations happen.

SLL is reimbursed for the services provided in the procurement of organs for the purpose of donation/transplantation. These include: identifying and screening the patient for donor candidacy; education and support provided to the families; clinical workup in the matching of potential organs with recipients; and the coordination between the organ procurement organization, transplant centers, and the recovery and transportation of organs. The primary source of funding comes from the recipient transplant centers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In 2021, the organization facilitated a record 101 organ donors and 300 organ transplants. In 2024, SLL surpassed those numbers with 207 organ donors, 488 organs transplanted, 820 tissue donors, and 354 eye donors.

To accommodate operational growth, SLL has relocated multiple times. The original location was on Evergreen Street in Little Rock (Pulaski County), followed by a move to 1701 Aldersgate Road. In 2022, SLL transitioned to a custom-built headquarters at 1300 Wilson Road in Little Rock. This state-of-the-art facility marked the organization’s first owned property. SLL also operates a satellite location in Fayetteville (Washington County) to serve the northwestern Arkansas region.

ARORA changed its name to Southern Legacy of Life in 2025. The name change was to reflect SLL’s mission and the reasons behind it. SLL strives to help Arkansans believe that they have the potential to save a life. SLL teaches that one person can save up to eight lives through the eight transplantable organs (heart, two lungs, two kidneys, liver, pancreas, and intestine), and up to seventy-five lives can be restored through tissue donation after tissue recovery of corneas, skin, bone, heart valves, and tendons.

For additional information:
Jones, Tara Symone. “A Collective History on Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency (ARORA) and Their Adaptation to Donation Culture.” MA thesis, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2024.

Southern Legacy of Life. https://arora.org/ (accessed September 24, 2025).

Tara S. Jones
Southern Legacy of Life