LAS CRUCES — The 5th annual Donate Life Car Show and Health Expo runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Young Park, 1905 E. Nevada St.
"We're expecting at least 100 cars this year," said Susan Brown with Donor Services of New Mexico and Southern New Mexico Transport Support Group TRIO, sponsors of the event.
Highlights will include live entertainment, food treats, a car show, a jumping balloon and health providers.
"We'll have entertainment by Synergy with DJ Dominick Maez. Richard Arzabal will judge the car show," Brown said.
The event is both a benefit and an educational forum for Donate Life America, a nationwide nonprofit organization that focuses on organ, eye and tissue donations, registering donors and helping to match and arrange transplants for thousands of people with organ failure.
The show has special, life-saving meaning for Brown.
"I had a kidney transplant and this is my way of giving something back. We have about 30 in our local group and we all have stories, from a family that lost a grandson and donated all his organs to people who have received transplants," Brown said. Among their projects is a monument to donors.
"The city has given us land in La Llorona Park for the monument," she said, adding that primary goals for the monument and the show are to raise awareness about the need for donors.
Admission is free to the public. Entry fees are $20 for cars, trucks and motorcycles, and parents must sign if the entrant is under age 18. Judging will start at 1 p.m. Trophies will be awarded by class.
The fee is $30 for food vendors, who must have a permit from the New Mexico Health Department. For information, contact Susan Brown at (575) 496-2627, e-mail sbrown1409@yahoo.com.
Donation Facts
Source: Donate Life America, donatelife.net
Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.
All major religions in the United States support organ, eye and tissue donation and see it as the final act of love and generosity toward others.
If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ, eye and tissue donation can only be considered after you are deceased.
When you are on the waiting list for an organ, what really counts is the severity of your illness, time spent waiting, blood type, and other important medical information, not your financial status or celebrity status.
An open casket funeral is possible for organ, eye and tissue donors. Through the entire donation process the body is treated with care, respect and dignity.
There is no cost to the donor or their family for organ or tissue donation.
If you go
What: 5th annual Donate Life Car Show and Health Expo
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday July 23
Where: Young Park, 1905 E. Nevada St.
How much: Free admission, $20 for car show entries, $30 for vendors
Info: Susan Brown, (575) 496-2627, e-mail sbrown1409@yahoo.com
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