Community Will Race To Raise Funds For Organ & Tissue Donation
By Mary Diduch  | New Providence Patch
The NJ Share Network Foundation is hosting its inaugural 5K Run/Walk fundraiser in New Providence this Sunday to raise money and awareness for organ and tissue donation.

There are about 4,800 New Jersey residents on a transplant waiting list, and every organ donor can donate up to eight organs or help up to 75 people with tissue.

After helping about 21,000 people over its 24-year existence, the NJ Share Network will continue its mission when about 3,000 runners, walkers and community members of all ages come out this Sunday morning to the Share NJ 5K Run/Walk to raise funds and awareness for organ and tissue donation.

The certified race will start and finish at 691 Central Ave., the headquarters of the NJ Sharing Network, which works to save lives through organ and tissue donations.

Elisse Glennon, executive director of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation, which raises funds for the organization, said the race is about more than money.

“It’s to paint a picture of our mission,” she said.

The day will honor donors, transplant recipients and their families. Glennon said they are expecting participants from all aspects of the transplant community — from families to businesses to medical professionals.

“It’s really about bringing the community together,” she said.

As for the events, a one-mile “Fun Run” will kick off the day at 9 a.m., followed by the 5K Run/Walk at 10 a.m. A 50-yard “Sprout Sprint” for children 3 years old and under will close out the day at 11 a.m.

About the Photo: From left, Alberta D'Addio and her daughter, Alyssa D'Addio. Alberta is the secretary for the NJ Sharing Network Foundation Board and Alyssa works at the foundation part-time. Both are on the "Just DO It in Celebration of Joe D'Addio Team," which will participate in the Share NJ 5K Run/Walk this Sunday in memory of father and husband Joe D'Addio. Joe, a tissue and organ donor, passed two years ago of an unexpected brain hemorrhage. Credit Courtesy of Alyssa D'Addio