Community Celebration Raises Awareness About Importance of Organ Donation

PATERSON, NJ - The NJ Sharing Network, the non-profit organization responsible for the recovery of donated organs and tissue in the Garden State, recently held one of their Live Healthy & Move free community events in Paterson,

According to organizers, hundreds of local residents enjoyed a beautiful day at Vera Ames Park celebrating with great music, health screenings, fitness programs and games while learning about the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

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NJ Sharing Network also distributed school supplies to K-12 students through its ‘Back-to-School Drive.’

Helping to lead the event was Paterson’s own E. Denise Peoples, Senior Manager of Community Services, NJ Sharing Network, and a double-lung transplant recipient who coordinates Live Healthy & Move events and promotes NJ Sharing Network’s lifesaving mission in local schools, faith-based organizations and community associations.

Peoples understands the importance of raising awareness about the impact of organ and tissue donation and transplantation saying that the series of events is just one of the ways the organization “gives back and expresses our gratitude to our local communities.”

“It is a wonderful opportunity for NJ Sharing Network’s team members, volunteers, and supporters to connect with local residents in our diverse communities throughout the Garden State. We were thrilled to bring this popular family event back to Paterson thanks to the generous support of our dedicated community partners,” Peoples said.

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The event’s timing was significant, Peoples added, as it took place in August, which is also National Minority Donor Awareness Month, a time to honor the generosity of multicultural organ and tissue donors and their families, while also underscoring the critical need for people from diverse communities to register as organ and tissue donors.

In addition to NJ Sharing Network, several local organizations were on hand providing information and giveaways, including St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Paterson Police Department and Ceasefire Unit, Paterson Fire Department, Green Acre Community Garden, Fidelity Chapter #16, Order of the Eastern Star, Public Housing Authority (PHA), National Diabetes Association, Rutgers Cancer Center, Fitness for Her, Bragg Funeral Home.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, and 67% are people of color. One organ and tissue donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of over 75 people.

“Within our communities of color, we have all experienced how health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and kidney failure have impacted those around us – our mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors. That is why there is a greater need than ever for transplants among our ethnic minorities,” said Peoples.

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