Inaugural 5K a Major Success for Organ, Tissue Donation

More than $443K raised from event.

Source: Long Valley, NJ Patch

The first-ever NJ Share 5K Walk / Run event on June 12 in New Providence was a huge success, and a press release from Axiom Communications has the details.

The final tally is in: a turnout of more than 4,000 participants, including volunteers, children, transplant recipients, donor families, and sponsors, inspired by NJ Sharing Network’s mission, helped to raise more than $443,000 for NJ Sharing Network Foundation’s inaugural Share NJ 5K Race to Save Lives Through Organ & Tissue Donation.

The unique structure of this race had groups of teams in honor of an individual organ recipient or donor. By personalizing the race into teams, donors and families were able to honor the memory and legacy of their individual loved ones. Participants came from all over the state; many with out of state members, including Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, even Florida.

“It was evident that the donor family and recipient teams brought together not only families and friends, but moreover entire communities,” says Joe Roth, President and Chief Executive Officer of NJ Sharing Network and past President of AOPO (Association of Organ Procurement Organizations). “For our inaugural race, we gathered together to advance organ and tissue donation initiatives, and it is my humble opinion that we were incredibly successful in spreading the importance of organ and tissue donation.”

Once all of the contributions have been collected, the top fundraisers will be announced and their prizes awarded. Anyone who raised $5K receives an iPad and the top fundraiser will win two airline tickets for US Travel.

NJ Sharing Network is a non-profit, federally designated organization responsible for the recovery and placement of donated organs and tissue for New Jersey residents in need of life-saving transplants. To securely register as an organ and tissue donor, visit  www.sharenj.org or your local motor vehicle agency and say “yes” to donation when you first apply for and each time you renew your driver license or state ID. NJ Sharing Network Foundation supports the life-saving mission of NJ Sharing Network. For information about donation and transplantation in NJ, contact 1-800-SHARE-NJ (800-742-7365) or info@sharenj.org.