New Jersey’s Religious Leaders Come Together to Support Organ and Tissue Donation During National Donor Sabbath

New Providence, NJ – Observed annually in November, National Donor Sabbath seeks to educate faith-based communities across the country about the critical need for organ and tissue donation, and the vital role faith plays in making the decision to register as a donor. Locally, NJ Sharing Network, the non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissue in the state, is partnering with faith leaders, houses of worship and faith-based organizations to educate its congregations about the critical need for donors and to dispel myths and discuss religious beliefs about the donation process. ​

“Most major religions in the United States support organ and tissue donation as an unselfish act of charity,” said Alyssa D’Addio, Director, Hospital and Community Services, NJ Sharing Network. “We are extremely fortunate to have strong partners in our local faith-based communities who support our life-saving mission by discussing organ and tissue donation with their congregations and by sharing their inspirational stories and unique perspectives about donation.”

Pastor Hilton Rawls, Jr. of Greater Grace Church in East Orange, NJ, is a kidney transplant recipient and just one of the many local faith-based leaders who actively support NJ Sharing Network throughout the year. “One of the basic tenets of faith is giving and receiving,” said Pastor Rawls, Jr. “Whether you are a person of faith or not, love is something with which we all identify. What happens within the walls of NJ Sharing Network can be recognized as love.”

In a typical year, National Donor Sabbath features an entire month of local, regional and national in-person awareness activities and events at churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship. While NJ Sharing Network’s clinical and laboratory team members continue their around-the-clock efforts to focus on saving and enhancing lives, the organization has developed creative ways to promote National Donor Sabbath virtually in online efforts.

NJ Sharing Network will also be proving social media tools and other resources to volunteers to share with fellow members of their congregations. On November 12, an interactive Donation and Faith Panel Discussion, will be held online from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Viewers can join LIVE on NJ Sharing Network’s Facebook page or at YouTube.com/NJSharingNetwork.

Panelists will include:
• Rev. Dr. Vanessa M. Brown, Rivers of Living Water Ministries UCC of Newark
• Rev. Dr. Marilyn M. Harris, First Baptist Church of Teaneck
• Rajesh Karnani, son of a tissue donor and member of the Hindu community
• Rabbi Ari Lucas, Congregation Agudath Israel (CAI) of Caldwell
• Fr. Edmund Luciano, Parish of the Visitation of New Brunswick
• E. Denise Peoples, Agape Family Worship Center of Rahway and NJ Sharing Network panel moderator.

To learn more, get involved and register as an organ and tissue donor, visit NJSharingNetwork.org. PHOTO CAPTION Pastor Hilton Rawls, Jr. of Greater Grace Church in East Orange, NJ, and E. Denise Peoples of Agape Family Worship Center in Rahway, NJ, help spread NJ Sharing Network’s life-saving mission in their faith congregations. Pastor Rawls is a kidney transplant recipient, and Peoples is a double-lung transplant recipient.

About NJ Sharing Network
NJ Sharing Network is the federally designated non-profit organization responsible for recovering organs and tissue for the nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents currently waiting for a life-saving transplant. With headquarters in New Providence, NJ, the organization is part of the national recovery system, serving the 110,000 people on the national waiting list. NJ Sharing Network was selected by NJBiz as one of the state’s “Best Places to Work” for the third consecutive year. To learn more, get involved and register as an organ and tissue donor, visit NJSharingNetwork.org.