SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Team Donate Life, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote organ donation and transplant awareness, will host a 1-mile walk around Sacramento Capitol Park starting at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 12th at the West Steps of the State Capitol, 10th & L Street.
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Celebrated in April each year, National Donate Life Month (NDLM) features an entire month of local, regional and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation. NDLM was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003 with the support of the Federal Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson.
The Sacramento Community is encouraged to attend the event. There will be stories of recent transplant successes like Pete Sevilla who received a life-saving kidney, as well as patients like 15-year old Antonio Limon who is still in need of a kidney transplant. Antonio's story has recently been publicized by Children's Organ Transplant Society, and more information can be found at www.cotaforantoniol.com.
"There are over 120,000 patients waiting for transplants, and our mission is to share transplant success stories and transplant needs, 'one more life' at a time," says Jason Weckworth, TDL's founder and kidney donor himself. After donating a kidney to his father in 2003, Jason's wife, Kristen, donated her kidney to a total stranger in 2008. Now the married pair remains passionate about spreading transplant stories. "Every life matters," says Kristen. "We hope for and encourage anyone who knows someone who donated, received, or is in current need of a transplant to come walk with us in support of this modern day miracle of genuinely saving lives. Sacramento is an awesome community full of really great transplant stories, but there are even more needs that are worth talking about."
The event will include a bounce-house for children in order to encourage family participation. There will also be representatives from The National Kidney Foundation and Sierra Donor Services to provide educational materials and answer transplant questions.
The cost for pre-registration is $15 per person, and children under 14 are free. Registration and more information can be found at www.teamdonatelife.com.
Media Contact:
Jason Weckworth
(916) 804-3215 (mobile)