Will you attend the Donor Sabbath?

But do not forget to do good things for people and to give what you have to those who need it. These are sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13.16

Each year, the country sets aside the second weekend of November for all faith communities to recognize, remember, and honor all those who have given the Gift of Life through organ, tissue, and eye donation. This year, it falls on November 12-14.

According to LifeBanc, the Month "was created to encourage faith-based leaders to bring education and awareness of the need for organ, eye, and tissue donors to multicultural communities. It is a call to action for local places of worship to help spread the message of hope and share in celebration of giving men, women, and children a second chance of life."

LifeBanc can help set up your church with materials about the Donor Sabbath.

Otherwise, here at TRIO, we are inviting you to the Annual Donor Sabbath Service that TRIO Greater Cleveland is having on Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 1-3pm. It will be at the Old Stone Church on Public Square (Cleveland, 44113). All are welcome to attend the service, which includes a candle-lighting ceremony. Recipient Quilts will also be on display. Refreshments will follow immediately in the Church's Memorial Hall.

RSVPs are requested by Monday, November 8, 2010 to triocleveland@hotmail.com, or 440.473.8879. Parking is available for a small fee, west of the church on Public Square.

September Meeting: News & LifeBanc's Chris Crepage

We had a wonderful time at the September Akron-Canton TRIO meeting with our special guest speaker, Chris Crepage from LifeBanc.

The meeting was attended by Bruce Hord, Mary Fread, Rosie Price, Sue and Ray Golden, Don and Isabelle Gordon, Nancy and Walter Hinkel and Dick Samoila.

Unfortunately, our President Dick Becherer was unable to attend because of back pain from a pulled muscle. He would appreciate our prayers.

In other member news, we were pleased to see Isabelle Gordon’s leg was beginning to heal from the injury she received while on vacation. Dick Samolia was feeling well enough to join us since his surgery and looks great. Amanda Goodwin was still home recovering from her August 31st liver transplant, but we hope to see her at next month's meeting.

Chris Crepage, Volunteer Services Coordiantor for LifeBanc was our guest speaker. He spoke about the mission of LifeBanc and ways to help, all with an excellent PowerPoint presentation.

The Mission of LifeBanc

• To increase organ and tissue donation for those awaiting transplant.
• To provide community and professional education to people of all ages about the need for and the benefits of organ and tissue donation.
• To respect and support those individuals and families whose generosity and compassion make it possible to improve and save the lives of others.

Volunteer Opportunity Descriptions - How Akron-Canton TRIO can help

• Ambassador: Discuss organ and tissue and tissue donation with the general public and register individuals on the Ohio Donor Registry at health fairs and community events.
• Educator: Conduct education programs in local schools. Varying opportunities exist for different grade levels: middle school, junior high and high school. (Additional specific training required.)
• Office Assistant: Offer support with office tasks such as data entry, collate information packets, prepare mailings, etc.
• Presenter: Share your personal story with groups of various sizes.
• Event Volunteer: Assist with assorted tasks at annual LifeBanc events. (Opportunities are announced when needed.)

For more information and to get involved contact:

Christopher Crepage
Volunteer Services Coordinator, LifeBanc
4775 Richmond Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44128-5919
p:216-820-4917 c:440-251-9772 f:216-751-4204
chris@lifebanc.org

LifeBanc recently held a grand opening in a new facility in Warrensville Heights. Also exciting, the Board of Directors recently approved new mission and vision statements, as well as values:

LifeBanc's Mission Statement:
LifeBanc saves and heals lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation

LifeBanc's Vision Statement:
Pursuing a future when the decision to donate is an honor and everyone waiting receives a transplant.

LifeBanc Values:
Integrity, Inclusion, Commitment, Service and Dignity.

Thank you, Chris, for coming to speak to Akron-Canton TRIO. We hope to increase our involvement with an organization so near and dear to our hearts.

We'll see everyone next month on Tuesday, October 19 from 6:30-8:30pm!

August Meeting + Upcoming

The August 17th meeting went well and was very informative. Our Pharmacist Tom Kingsbury, owner of Fulton Drugs (1657 25th St NW in Canton) was our special guest, and we found him to be an excellent informative speaker. Do you have trouble swallowing pills? Some of our members were happy to find that Fulton Drugs sells various sizes of empty gelatin capsules which you can use to insert the pills to make swallowing so much easier. If you have a problem swallowing pills, you may want to check with Fulton Drugs (330-456-2476) or your local pharmacy. There are options!

Our next meeting, on September 21st, our speaker will be Chris Crepage from LifeBanc. He will be telling us about LifeBanc and how we, as parts of Akron-Canton TRIO, can help in our mission of Awareness, Support, Education and Advocacy. It's sure to be a great time!

LifeBanc's Quilt-Making Party

On a volunteer's suggestion, LifeBanc is offering to host a quilt square-making party. Help us make this a success! Come join us if you're a donor, recipient, loved one, or someone waiting on an organ... We would love for you to make a square for the third LifeBanc quilt. Even if you don't consider yourself "crafty," we'll have all the supplies here and knowledgable people to help! These quilts make large impacts on people as they travel around, spreading the importance, sharing the joy, and displaying the gratitude of organ donation.

Shop & Search to Benefit TRIO Akron-Canton!

Shopping online? Then do it through iGive and we can get some financial benefit at no cost to you!

Participating major national stores will donate up to 14% of your online purchases to TRIO Akron-Canton!! All you have to do is click on the iGive.com banner above and join. Search for "trio" until you find TRIO Akron Canton. Select us as your charity, and go shopping! Tell your friends! There are so many stores to shop from - keep this in mind especially as the holidays approach!

TRIO Celebration of Life Picnic

August 8: Our picnic this year - although small in attendance - was quite a success!

Here is our group picture:

From L-R, Randy & Robin Pelton, Craig & Beth Gohlke, Rosie Price, Mary Fread, Keith Goodwin, Don Gordon, Ray & Susan Golden, Amanda Goodwin, Heather Golden, Ray Hamlin, Pam Goodwin, Ben Wallace, Nikki Goodwin, Dick & Joan Becherer.

We had members of all kinds from donors to recipients, and even someone waiting for an organ. Plus most brought a family member or two, which made for even more fun. Everyone made a dish to share, and the conversation was enjoying.

On display was our information board that we take to events to tell people about our organization and recruit new members:

Each year, Schwebel's Bread Company donates buns, and Sugardale donates hot dogs to compliment everyone else's delectable contributions.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and remember, the picnic is held the second Sunday afternoon in August every year, so make plans to attend next year's picnic today.

2010 LifeBanc Gift of Life Walk & Run

On Saturday, June 14, some of the AC-TRIO members gathered at Blossom Music Center for the 12th Annual LifeBanc Gift of Life Walk & Run!

Not only did we have a few AC-TRIO members "manning" an information table, but a few members decided to join newest AC-TRIO member Amanda's friends and family as a team for the walk.

Here's a photo of the entire "Race for Amanda" team. If you're not aware, Amanda is on the waiting list for a new liver, and you can see her blog here. More photos will be on her personal blog as the week goes on. Her team, in total, raised $1345, and the TRIO information table was able to spread the word about our great support organization. It was a wonderful day in celebration of life, giving, and the human spirit.