Center for Organ Recovery & Education Partners with West Virginia State University to Host Step Afrika! in Celebration of National Donor Sabbath
Pittsburgh, November 1, 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, will mark National Donor Sabbath with the fast-paced dance steps and exciting sounds of traditional African step dancing presented by Step Afrika!. The performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, November 4, 2013 at Ferrell Hall Auditorium (2nd floor) on the campus of West Virginia State University (5000 Fairlawn Ave., Institute, WV, 25112). During intermission, there will be a presentation about organ, tissue and cornea donation. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $10.00 at the door.
“At CORE, we are pleased to partner with West Virginia State University to bring Step Afrika! to West Virginia,” said Susan Stuart, president and CEO of CORE. “We welcome the public to join us for this event and hope that those attendees who are not already registered donors will make the Pledge for Life and sign up to become a donor on November 4.”
Observed November 15-17, 2013, National Donor Sabbath is a nationwide event that seeks to educate faith-based communities about the need for organ, tissue and cornea donors by partnering with faith leaders and organizations. In turn, those organizations can then educate congregations about the critical need for donors and dispel myths about the donation process. All major religions in the United States support organ, tissue and cornea donation as an unselfish act of charity.
Based in Washington, D.C., Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The company was founded in 1994 and currently ranks as one of the top ten African American dance companies in the United States.
Nationally, more than 120,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant. At least 18 will die each day without receiving one, including two from CORE’s service area. For every person who donates their organs, tissues and corneas, up to 50 lives can be saved or dramatically improved.
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.
