DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS - SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

San Francisco to Host Redford Family's 7th Annual 'Share the Beat' Benefit Concert

James Redford Brings the Share the Beat Event to San Francisco

--Annual fundraising concert benefits The American Society of Transplantation and

the Redford AnimAction Project and raises awareness for organ donation--

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - August 31, 2010 - The American Society of Transplantation (AST) and James Redford will host the seventh annual Share the Beat® event, benefiting the AST endowment and the Redford AnimAction Project: It’s A RAP!, an educational program dedicated to raising organ donation awareness. This year’s event will take place at the Regency Center in San Francisco on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at 8:00 PM.

“We take Share the Beat on the road to a different city each year in order to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation,” states Redford. “More than 100,000 people are currently on the waiting list for a transplant, and each day, 19 people die waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs.”

James Denton will take a night off from his role as Mike Delfino on the hit television series “Desperate Housewives” to host the event. He’ll be accompanied by several musical guests who will take the stage and perform for the crowd. Guests at previous Share the Beat events have included Tim McGraw, Robert Redford, John Williams conducting the Boston Pops, Phil Vassar and Bo Bice.

“I met James [Redford] at Sundance in 2006 and was immediately struck by his passion and commitment to this cause,” states Denton. “I am grateful that, as host of the annual event, I too can help raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.”

Throughout the night, several people who have been affected by the power of transplantation will share their personal stories, including James Redford, who received a life-saving liver transplant in 1993, and Reg Green, whose 7-year-old son Nicholas was killed in Italy in 1994. Green and his wife made the decision to donate their son’s organs, changing the lives of seven Italian adults and children.

"James [Redford] and Reg are wonderful ambassadors for organ donation," states AST President Dr. Maryl Johnson. "Organ donation not only impacts transplant recipients and their loved ones, it can also offer grieving families a sense of pride that their loved ones saved others in need."

Tickets to the event start at $55 and can be purchased at www.sharethebeat.org.

Below is a short video by Robert Redford for the 2009 "Share the Beat" concert in Boston.

About the Redford AnimAction Project

The Redford AnimAction Project: “It’s a RAP!” creates powerful animated public service announcements (PSAs) stressing the importance of organ donation. Students are introduced to the topic of organ donation in an interactive multimedia presentation and then brainstorm, conceptualize, and produce animated PSAs. The purpose of the program is to educate young people so that they are able to make an informed decision about organ and tissue donation.

About AST

The American Society of Transplantation is an international organization of transplant professionals who are dedicated to research, education, advocacy and patient care in transplant science and medicine. The Society comprises more than 3,200 transplant physicians, surgeons, scientists and allied health professionals.

Media Contact: Kelly Lange | Senior Account Executive | P: 215.735.3470 x108

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

BROWNSTEIN GROUP Brand Communication
brownsteingroup.com