Johnstown, PA — March 8, 2025 — The Johnstown Tomahawks, in partnership with the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) and Second Chance Fundraising, will celebrate the inaugural Mark Kresak Memorial Donate Life Game on March 8. This special event honors the life-saving cause of organ, tissue, and cornea donation, recognizing the lasting impact of donors and their families. The game was established in memory of Mark Kresak, a former Johnstown Tomahawks employee who became an organ donor upon his passing in 2023.

During the second intermission, representatives from CORE, the Tomahawks, and Mark’s wife, Jen, will present the family of Cortez Baca with a custom Donate Life hockey jersey. Cortez became an organ donor, giving the ultimate gift of life. His generous decision saved and healed multiple lives, ensuring his kindness and selflessness live on.

“Cortez was an amazing kid—funny, outgoing, and always willing to help others,” said his mother, Brandi Baca. “He had a way of making people feel special, whether it was playing Roblox with me, taking me on dates where he insisted on paying, or being protective of his four sisters. He was intelligent, kind, and had an unspoken knowledge of how things should be. Though he is deeply missed, his legacy continues through the lives he saved.”

Adding to the celebration, Second Chance Fundraising’s mascot, Pumper the Heart, will take to the ice during intermission, giving away Donate Life awareness t-shirts. Outside the rink, CORE will host an awareness table, providing guests with information about organ donation and the opportunity to sign up as donors.

The event serves as an early kickoff to National Donate Life Month, observed each April to raise awareness about the importance of organ, tissue, and cornea donation.

“During National Donate Life Month, we highlight the power of organ, tissue, and cornea donation to save and heal lives,” said Jared Bedekovich, Communications Specialist at CORE. “Events like these help us raise awareness in the communities that both donors and recipients call home.”

The Mark Kresak Memorial Donate Life Game is made possible through the collaboration of the Johnstown Tomahawks, Second Chance Fundraising, and CORE, the nonprofit organ procurement organization serving western Pennsylvania.

Important facts about organ, tissue and cornea donation:

• Anyone can register to be an organ donor regardless of age, race or medical history.
• With more than 100,000 people across the nation awaiting a kidney, it is the organ in greatest need, followed by liver, heart and Nearly 2,500 people in Pennsylvania are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.
• Only 50% of Pennsylvanians are registered organ donors.
• One organ donor can save up to eight lives and a tissue donor can improve the lives of more than 75 others.
• Individuals are encouraged to talk with family members and friends about registering as a donor.
• To sign up, visit core.org/register

About CORE

The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of the more than 50 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region, and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.

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