Two Warren Hills Regional High School teachers start a group called DONATE to emphasis the importance of organ donation to middle school students. The group will be sponsoring a walk May 21.
Amanda BestWhen Warren Hills Regional Middle School teachers Amanda Best and Jessica Rader saw the struggles of student experiencing failing kidney function, they decided to take action.
The two, both special educators, started a group called DONATE (Donate Organs Now Action Team for Education) in 2014 to educate students about organ donation.
"We were really inspired by this student and felt like we needed to do something to help his need for a kidney," said Best.
The pair successfully applied for a Hipp Foundation Grant from the NJEA and were awarded $2,500 for the program last spring. Since then, DONATE has been turning middle school students into ambassadors for organ donation.
Students have watched a live kidney transplant at the Liberty Science Center, attended presentations from the NJ Sharing Network, and helped raised money for the cause.
Best and Rader were recognized for the DONATE program at a special luncheon for Hipp grant recipients at the NJEA convention last fall. Hipp grants are awarded to public school employees in New Jersey whose "innovative educational projects represent a bold, fresh approach" to education.
Still in it's beginning stages, Best says DONATE is focusing on the middle school population, with the hope that it will grow as these students move on to high school.
DONATE will be sponsoring a Life Celebration Walk on May 21 at the Warren Hills Stadium. The event will include a walk to raise funds for the NJ Sharing Network, the opportunity to donate blood and hair, and to register with national donation organizations.
These groups include Be the Match, an organization that connects donors to people with life-threatening blood cancers, and the Flood Sisters, which find and match kidney donors.
The walk is open to the public and everyone from the community is encouraged to participate.
If you are interested in participating, you can email Amanda Best at BestA@warrenhills.org or visit DONATE's Facebook page.
