Pittsburgh, April 20, 2016 – The powerful sounds of gospel music brought people together to share the important message of organ, tissue and cornea donation during the annual West Virginia Gospel Idol competition hosted by the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) on April 10. The winners are:

First Place – First Baptist Church Breaking Ground Dance Ministry

Second Place – Brandon Sweeney

Third Place – Heather Blankenship

Viewers’ Choice – First Baptist Church Breaking Ground Dance Ministry

Left to right: First Baptist Church Breaking Ground Dance Ministry members (First Place and Viewers’ Choice); third from left, Lisa Upshur, CORE; Brandon Sweeney (Second Place); Heather Blankenship (Third Place); First Baptist Church Breaking Ground Dance Ministry members.

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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.