‘Paint a Rock, Save a Life’ at the Pascagoula Senior Center

JE Social and Service Club assisted Singing River Health System and Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency with a special initiative to help spread awareness across the Coast to Donate Life Mississippi.

Girls apart of JE Social and Service Club packed the Pascagoula Senior Center to learn more about how organ, eye, and tissue donations save lives. MORA Community Outreach Coordinator Trisha Byrd said, “Over 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a life-saving transplant. On average, 20 people will pass away every day waiting on a transplant and every ten minutes a new person is added to the list.”

Byrd says it is important to inform the younger generation about organ, eye, and tissue donations. “When they go to get their drivers license or to get their regular license, they are going to be asked if they want to be an organ donor and I want them to have the information to make the best decision for themselves.”

To make the event fun and creative, the girls painted special rocks with information on how to register to become an organ donor. Chief Nursing Officer Susan Russell said, “People will come and find this beautiful rock and they will pick it up and look at it. It has an inspirational message and, in this case, it’s ‘think about your organs being put to a greater use.’”

One tissue donor can enhance over 75 lives and one organ donor can save over eight lives. It is important to understand that organ donation is important for those living and those who are deceased. “Through donations we can transplant the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, intestine, or kidneys. We can also do tissue donations which includes cornea, skin, and bones.”

Mary Elizabeth Foster, president of JE Social and Service Club, says it is important to bring awareness to organ donations. “It is always important to do community service, but especially coming together as a group, it’s a lot easier to do great things for our community.”