From left are Andrea L. Mason, Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Quiles and E. Denise Peoples.
NEWARK, NJ — Newark recognized National Minority Donor Awareness Month by raising the NJ Sharing Network flag in front of Newark City Hall and presenting the nonprofit organization with an official proclamation to recognize its work in the recovery and placement of donated organs and tissue.
Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Quiles stressed the importance of NJ Sharing Network’s efforts in providing hope for the nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents waiting for a life-saving transplant. According to United Network for Organ Sharing, 67 percent of those waiting for a transplant in New Jersey are people of color.
“Each year in New Jersey, thousands of lives are saved and enhanced through organ and tissue donation and transplantation,” said Quiles. “We are proud to recognize NJ Sharing Network and honor the selfless donors who gave the gift of life to others. This is something we can all celebrate. However, there is still an urgent need to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation, to help get more of our neighbors to register as donors to save more lives in our diverse communities.”
Although organs are not matched according to race and ethnicity, and people of different races frequently match one another, all individuals waiting for an organ transplant will have a better chance of receiving one if there is a diversity of donors.
E. Denise Peoples, community services specialist for NJ Sharing Network, is a double-lung transplant recipient and a Newark resident who works throughout the year to promote NJ Sharing Network’s life-saving mission in local schools, faith-based organizations and community associations.
“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’s why there is a greater need than ever for transplants among our racial and ethnic minorities,” said Peoples. “We need the active support of our community members to help educate others and dispel any myths and misinformation about organ and tissue donation.”
Celebrated in August, National Minority Donor Awareness Month honors the generosity of multicultural donors and their families, while also underscoring the critical need for people from diverse communities to register as organ and tissue donors. NJ Sharing Network leads these local outreach efforts throughout the year with its #DonationNeedsDiversity campaign, an initiative to empower multicultural communities to become more involved in saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation.
For more information about ways to get involved and support the #DonationNeedsDiversity campaign, visit www.njsharingnetwork.org/donation-needs-diversity.
To register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.njsharingnetwork.org.
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