BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Beckley and Summers County ARH Hospitals will celebrate National Donate Life Month April 14, with flag raising ceremonies at each location.
The ceremony at Summers County ARH will take place at 11 a.m., followed by a similar event at Beckley ARH at 2 p.m.
In Summers County, the event will include an invocation from ARH Hospital Chaplain Dr. Stanley Day, a welcome from hospital CEO/CNO Angela Rivera and remarks from CORE Professional Services Liaison Tara Woods.
Beckley resident Deb Evans, who underwent a cornea transplant, will serve as the featured speaker.
The afternoon ceremony at Beckley ARH will follow a similar format with an invocation from ARH Chaplain Jason Hubbard, a welcome from hospital CEO Todd Howell and remarks from Woods.
ARH employee Tammy Hairston, a kidney recipient, will share her story.
Both ceremonies will take place in the hospital lobbies before moving outside for a flag raising.
ARH Regional Community Health and Impact Manager Kelly Elkins invites the community to the events, which she said serve as annual opportunities to honor and thank organ donors, to allow recipients to share their stories, and to encourage others to consider becoming organ donors themselves.
“We shine a light on the importance of organ donation each April with National Donate Life Month,” she said. “But when the calendar turns over to a new month, the need is still there. Stories like those from Deb and Tammy are inspiring and uplifting. They show what can happen – how someone’s life can change and be saved – through organ donation. Still, thousands more just like Deb and Tammy, who remain on that donation list, still waiting for their own miracles.
“We hope that these events that allow us to celebrate recipients and recognize donors, will also encourage and inspire others to consider donating.”
According to statistics provided CORE, more than 100,000 people in the United States are awaiting an organ transplant and another 250,000 people are in need of tissue and cornea transplants.
Of those waiting, approximately 500 are from West Virginia.
For information on becoming an organ donor, visit www.core.org/register.
