Media Advisory
Niagara community encouraged to help raise awareness of organ and tissue donation
- Date of Issue: Monday, April 16, 2007
Niagara, ON: The Niagara Health System (NHS), in conjunction with Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), is inviting the Niagara community to participate in a Living Green Ribbon event at the NHS Greater Niagara General Site on Monday, April 23, 2007, to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donations.
The Living Green Ribbon event will be held rain or shine in the area adjacent to the Allied Health Building, 5546 Portage Road, in Niagara Falls, from 11 a.m. until noon.
All members of the public are invited to participate in the Living Green Ribbon formation, and are encouraged to invite their colleagues, friends and neighbours. Parking will be available in the Allied Health lot, and carpooling is encouraged. Participants are asked to wear green if possible. Green ponchos will also be available on site.
There will be a brief opportunity for speeches from 11:15 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., followed by the Living Green Ribbon formation. An aerial photo of the formation will be taken. Presenters will be NHS President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer, TGLN Organ and Tissue Donation Coordinator Nancy Glover, a donor family from Welland, and a recipient from St. Catharines.
There are currently 68 patients from Niagara on the transplant waiting list, and 1,748 patients on the Ontario list. Every three days, someone on Ontario's organ donation waiting list dies. One donor's generosity can really have a tremendous impact on improving the health of others who desperately need transplants.
Niagara's Living Green Ribbon event is part of National Organ and Tissue Awareness Week in Ontario. Communities across Ontario will be holding similar Living Green Ribbon events during the week of April 22 -29, 2007.
Help us make Niagara's Living Green Ribbon the largest in Ontario!
The Green Awareness Ribbon is an international symbol of support for organ and tissue donation. Green symbolizes hope for those who are waiting for a second chance at life through transplantation; a reminder of the men, women and children who have died waiting for a life-saving transplant; and a thank you to donors and their families for giving the greatest gift of all, the gift of life so that another could live on.