Pittsburgh, April 29, 2013 – The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), a federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and parts of New York, is partnering with the University of Pittsburgh and Donate Life America, to make a big impact at the GNC Live Well Health and Fitness Expo (May 3-4, 2013) at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon (Sunday, May 5, 2013 from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) with its ‘Organ Donors Matter’ campaign. This includes the sponsorship of the eighth mile of the race, (between Station Square and the South Side), which signifies the eight lives that can be saved through one organ donor. The campaign also provides an opportunity for individuals to learn how organ, tissue and cornea donation can save and enhance lives by simply texting PLEDGE to 94253. As a special promotion, during the expo and marathon, individuals who text RUN to 94253 can get a free souvenir photo at the Organ Donors Matter photo booth.

“Ask an organ, tissue or cornea transplant recipient who their hero is, and you will hear the same words again and again, which are ‘my donor,’” said Susan Stuart, president and CEO of CORE. “At CORE, we are excited to reach the nearly 30,000 marathon participants and 100,000 attendees with this unique call-to-action. The ‘Organ Donors Matter’ campaign will increase awareness of the critical need for registered organ, tissue and cornea donors, and provide the public with information they need to make an informed decision about registering to become a donor.”

Visitors to the GNC Live Well Health and Fitness Expo (May 3-4, 2013) at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Marathon Finish Line Festival (May 5, 2013) can learn important facts about organ, tissue and cornea donation at the Organ Donors Matter booth. Expo attendees can sign up to become a donor from their phones through a secure link found on the Organ Donors Matter mobile website, www.text2donatelife.org.

The campaign is also providing 30,000 souvenir reusable cups for the finish line in support of the marathon’s goal to reduce their environmental footprint this year. Participants can use their souvenir cups instead of receiving bottled water as was done in previous years. Additionally, all marathon, half marathon, and marathon relay participants will receive a reflective Organ Donors Matter slap band to keep them safe during training runs.

The souvenir reusable cups and slap bands will include the Organ Donors Matter call-to-action: text PLEDGE to 94253, where they can learn more about organ, tissue and cornea donation and how they can sign up to become a donor.

The Organ Donors Matter campaign is supported by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to Howard B. Degenholtz, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy & Management. Titled “Text2DonateLife: An Innovative Call to Action for Large-Scale Campaigns Using Text Messaging,” the grant seeks to provide a new way for a large number of people to simultaneously register to become organ, tissue and cornea donors using cell phone text messaging over a two-year period. For more information, visit www.text2donatelife.org.

For more information about CORE, visit core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to coordinate the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation. CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs and placement of corneas. With headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Charleston, West Virginia, CORE oversees a region that encompasses 155 hospitals and almost six million people throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY. For more information, visit core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

About the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, founded in 1948 and now one of the top-ranked schools of public health in the United States, conducts research on public health and medical care that improves the lives of millions of people around the world. Pitt Public Health is a leader in devising new methods to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, HIV/AIDS, cancer and other important public health problems. For more information about Pitt Public Health, visit the school’s Web site at www.publichealth.pitt.edu.

About Donate Life America
Donate Life America is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and state teams across the United States committed to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation. Donate Life America manages and promotes the national brand for donation, Donate Life, and assists Donate Life State Teams and national partners in facilitating high-performing donor registries; developing and executing effective multi-media donor education programs; and motivating the American public to register now as organ, eye and tissue donors.