National Donor Sabbath
From left to right
Ralph Klicker, Director of Thanatology
Lana Benatovich, NCCJ Executive Director
Reverend James A. Lewis III, Pastoral Care Director ECMCC
Rabbi Earl Grollman
Mark Simon, UNYTS President/CEO
On Thursday September 28, 2006 more than 150 clergy from Western New York came together for a seminar on “Loss and the Clergy: Caring for Others and Ourselves”. Dr. Earl Grollman, a Rabbi from the Boston, Massachusetts area spoke on how clergy could take better care of the grieving members of their faith communities. Rabbi Grollman also discussed the importance of clergy taking better care of themselves.
The three hour seminar was sponsored by Upstate New York Transplant Services in collaboration with Buffalo Hospice, National Conference for Community and Justice and the pastoral care departments of Kaleida, Erie County Medical Center and the Catholic Health Systems hospitals, through the generous support of the Baird Foundation. It was held at Hospice Buffalo on Como Park Boulevard in Cheektowaga.
Dr. Grollman is the author of 27 books including “Talking about death” which received the international UNESGO award in 1988. Dr. Grollman received the National Hospice Care Award and was recently named person of the year by the National Center of Death Education.
One of the objectives of the conference was to interest clergy in participating in National Donor Sabbath weekend, November 10, 2006 through November 12, 2006. National Donor Sabbath is an interfaith celebration of life and thanksgiving that brings together the religious and transplant communities to raise awareness of the urgent need for organ and tissue donors and to dispel fears about the incapability of religion and donation. Congregations throughout the country are being asked to support the efforts of National Donor Sabbath by including the topic of organ and tissue donation in worship services and implementing other donor awareness activities that weekend. For more information on Donor Sabbath, please contact Victoria Dent at 566-3943.
More than 92,000 people in the United States are waiting for life-saving organ transplants and hundreds of thousands need life-enhancing cornea and tissue transplants. Each day, seventeen people die while waiting for organs. Religious leaders in the community can play a vital role in the National Donor Sabbath observance by encouraging people to learn the facts about donation and to discuss their wishes with their families. Family communication is critical for solving the shortage of donor organs and tissues. When a death occurs, the hospital is required by federal law to contact their local organ procurement agency. The local organ procurement agency is then required to offer the family the option of donation. Thus, it is crucial that family members know each other’s whished about donation before death occurs. Clergy were encouraged to share this message with their congregation, as they all will ultimately be affected someday.
September 28, 2006
Dear Religious Leader:
National Donor Sabbath 2006 will be observed Friday, November 10 through Sunday, November 12. I hope you will join us in making this year’s observance a success in Western New York.
National Donor Sabbath is an interfaith celebration of life and thanksgiving that brings together the religious and transplant communities to raise awareness of the urgent need for organ and tissue donors and to dispel fears about the incompatibility of religion and donation. Congregations throughout the country are being asked to support the efforts of National Donor Sabbath by including the topic of organ and tissue donation in worship services and implementing other donor awareness activities that weekend.
More than 92,000 people in the United States are waiting for life-saving organ transplants and hundreds of thousands need life-enhancing cornea and tissue transplants. Each day, seventeen people die while waiting for organs. As a religious leader in the community, you can play a vital role in the National Donor Sabbath observance by encouraging people to learn the facts about donation and to discuss their wishes with their families. Family communication is critical for solving the shortage of donor organs and tissues. When a death occurs, the hospital is required by federal law to contact their local organ procurement agency. The local organ procurement agency is then required to offer the family the option of donation. Thus, it is crucial that family members know each other’s wishes about donation before death occurs. I encourage you to share this message with your congregation, as they all will ultimately be affected someday.
Please also reach out to your congregation to identify recipients of organs and tissues, donor family members, or those who are waiting for transplants. You may be surprised by how many people have been touched by the gift of life. These people may also be of help to you in implementing National Donor Sabbath plans.
Enclosed is a document containing sample bulletins and ideas for National Donor Sabbath activities. We will be happy to provide whatever materials you need. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Victoria Dent
Director of Community Relations
Enclosures
SAMPLE BULLETINS
Below are some sample bulletins that can be used verbatim or as a model for others:
Our (religious organization) supports and encourages organ and tissue donation as the ultimate gift of one person to another. Take a moment to discuss organ and tissue donation with your family since they are the ones who will follow through on your wishes upon your death. For more information, call Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. (UNYTS) at 853-6667 or visit www.unyts.org.
(Name of Religion) recognizes the life-giving benefits of organ and tissue donation and encourages all members of our congregation to sign donor cards and discuss their wishes with their family members. Your next-of-kin is responsible for following through with your wishes upon your death. For more information, call Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. (UNYTS) at 853-6667 or visit www.unyts.org.
To think of others at a time of grief and sorrow is truly compassionate and selfless. Please consider the gift of life--organ and tissue donation. (Name of Religion) supports this gift in the spirit of love and generosity. Remember to discuss your feelings about donation with your family since they are the ones who will follow through on your wishes upon your death. For more information, call Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. (UNYTS) at 853-6667 or visit www.unyts.org.
We all recognize the life-giving benefits of organ and tissue donation. Take a moment to discuss organ and tissue donation with your family since they are the ones who will follow through on your wishes upon your death. For more information, call Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. (UNYTS) at 853-6667 or visit www.unyts.org.
More than 92,000 people nationwide currently wait for a life-saving organ transplant and thousands are in need of a life-enhancing tissue transplant. For many, the chance to live a full life won’t come unless all of us consider organ and tissue donation. Discuss organ and tissue donation after worship with your family and friends. Your next-of-kin is responsible for following through with your wishes upon your death. For more information, call Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. (UNYTS) at 800-227-4771 or visit www.unyts.org.
Signing the back of your driver’s license is not enough! It is important to discuss your wishes about organ and tissue donation with your family since they are the ones who will follow through on your wishes upon your death. For more information, call Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. (UNYTS) at 853-6667 or visit www.unyts.org.
You can participate in National Donor Sabbath by informing your congregation about organ and tissue donation through activities such as the following:
- Include statements about organ and tissue donation in your church bulletin;
See Clergy Resource Manual - Provide bulletin inserts to your congregation;
All materials are free and available from UNYTS. Invite a transplant recipient, donor family member or someone waiting for a transplant to share their story with the congregation; - Give a sermon about the miracle of life and donation;
Sample sermons from a variety of religious traditions can be found in the Clergy Resource Manual - Have a candle ceremony
If you are unable to include the topic of organ and tissue donation in your sermon, perhaps you will consider a candle ceremony. The activity would only take a few minutes and would not interfere with the flow of the planned sermon:
Seventeen Candles
Seventeen people stand before the congregation, each holding a lit candle. One by one, each person blows out his or her candle. After the last candle is blown out, there is a brief moment of silence. The clergy person then says: “This is a visual representation of the seventeen people who die EVERY DAY in the United States while waiting for an organ transplant.” This statement is followed by another brief moment of silence.
Seven Candles
Seven people stand before the congregation; each person is holding a candle. One by one, each person lights his or her candle. After the last candle is lit, there is a brief moment of silence. The clergyperson says, “One organ donor can save the lives of up to seven people. An organ and tissue donor can save the lives of up to 50 people.” This statement is followed by another brief moment of silence.
To request materials please fax the order form (PDF, 164KB) to 348 - 5446:
Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc.
110 Broadway
Buffalo, NY 14203
For more information contact Victoria Dent at 566 - 3943 or email vdent@unyts.org
Please notify us of your plans for National Donor Sabbath even if you do not require additional materials.