NJ Sharing Network, along with 12,000 Transplant Recipients, Living Donors, Donor Families and Supporters to Celebrate Life in July, 2020
NEW PROVIDENCE & EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, February 27, 2018– Officials from the Transplant Games of America® (TGA) today announced that the New Jersey Meadowlands Community will host the Donate Life Transplant Games from July 17-22, 2020. The Games are a multi-sport festival for individuals who have undergone life-saving transplant surgeries. Competition events are open to living donors, organ transplant recipients, and bone marrow, corneal and tissue transplant recipients. The six-day event includes a full schedule of special events that recognize the success of donation and transplantation while honoring the generosity of donors and their families. The successful bid was a collaboration of local partners led by NJ Sharing Network, the state’s organ procurement organization that saves lives through organ and tissue donation.
“There were many compelling bids to host the Transplant Games but it was clear that the Meadowlands Liberty Convention & Visitors Bureau and NJ Sharing Network were the right partners to make this the best Transplant Games ever. NJ Sharing Network’s leadership enables them to consistently deliver extraordinary results in areas that include education, fundraising, public policy, medical services and more. We know they’ll put that same rigor and excellence behind the Transplant Games,” said Bill Ryan, President and CEO of the Transplant Games of America, an initiative of the Transplant Life Foundation. Ryan added that the Meadowlands offers top-level facilities and unparalleled access to the greater metro New York area. As such, it will attract national and local media, offer a myriad of transportation and logistical options and conveniences. “The Meadowlands location will serve as a magnet for participants and spectators who want to visit local attractions – from the Big Apple to the Jersey Shore,” said Ryan.
The Transplant Games of America will include over 20 competitions as well as a full program of special events. It is anticipated that the 2020 Games will include some unique “winter” competitions as part the of American Dream project.
“The Transplant Games are the ultimate representation of what we stand for: courage, achievement and triumph over adversity,” said Joe Roth, President and CEO of NJ Sharing Network. “These Games will be an awe-inspiring demonstration of the power of life, in some cases literally passed from one participant to the next. They will embrace the entire transplant community – healthcare providers, recipients, donors, donor families, patients waiting for transplants, organizations like ours, and other supporters, in a shared mission to highlight the need for and the life-saving benefits of organ and tissue donation.”
Lead partners include NJ Sharing Network, Hackensack Meridian Health, RWJ Barnabas Health, Novartis, American Dream, Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“Hosting the Transplant Games, ‘live from the Meadowlands,’ home of world renowned major sporting events, will not only showcase the incredible competitors but it will elevate the awareness and importance of organ and tissue donation advancing the Donate Life cause. We are extremely honored and proud to be a partner of the 2020 games,” said Jim Kirkos, President and CEO of Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Today there are 115,000 individuals in the United States waiting for a life-saving transplant, and nearly 4,000 are waiting in New Jersey. Nationwide, 20 people die each day waiting for a transplant.