On August 9, hundreds of local residents gathered in the park next to the Plainfield Public Library for NJ Sharing Network’s Live Healthy and Move community event. Under sunny skies, attendees of all ages enjoyed lively music, free health screenings, interactive fitness programs, and family-friendly games — all while learning about the lifesaving power of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. The event also featured NJ Sharing Network’s Back-to-School Drive, which provided school supplies for K-12 students.
Photo 1 – (At right) Zoeh Arana, Bilingual Community Specialist, NJ Sharing Network, shares information with attendees. (Photo credit: All photos courtesy of NJ Sharing Network)
Photo 2 – E. Denise Peoples, Senior Manager of Community Services, NJ Sharing Network, and Carin Burrell, NJ Sharing Network volunteer, greet attendees. (Photo credit: All photos courtesy of NJ Sharing Network)
Photo 3 – Live Healthy and Move attendees show off their Zumba dance moves. (Photo credit: All photos courtesy of NJ Sharing Network)
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
NJ Sharing Network, the non-profit organization responsible for the recovery of donated organs and tissue in the Garden State, works throughout the year with community partners and grassroots organizations to improve the health and wellness of residents. NJ Sharing Network’s Live Healthy & Move free community events offer a full day of family fun, focusing on physical and mental fitness.
E. Denise Peoples, Senior Manager of Community Services, NJ Sharing Network, is a double-lung transplant recipient who coordinates Live Healthy & Move events and promotes NJ Sharing Network’s lifesaving mission in local schools, faith-based organizations and community associations. She understands the importance of raising awareness about the impact of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
“Live Healthy & Move is one of the many ways our NJ Sharing Network team shows appreciation and gives back to the communities we serve,” said Peoples. “These events create meaningful opportunities for our team members, volunteers, and supporters to engage directly with local residents. We were thrilled to bring this popular family event to Plainfield thanks to the generous support of our dedicated community partners.”
NJ Sharing Network’s Live Healthy & Move event in Plainfield took on additional meaning as August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month, a time to honor the generosity of multicultural organ and tissue donors and their families, while also underscoring the critical need for people from diverse communities to register as organ and tissue donors.
According to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, and 67% are people of color. One organ and tissue donor can save eight lives and enhance the lives of over 75 people.
“Within our communities of color, we have all experienced how health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and kidney failure have impacted those around us – our mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors. That is why there is a greater need than ever for transplants among our ethnic minorities,” said Peoples.