The James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness (JRI) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center will present “Share the Beat,” a benefit to raise awareness and support for organ donation on Saturday, March 10, at the Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Hall. The special evening will feature the participation of James and Robert Redford, performances by headliners Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and sets by Phil Vassar, Rivers Rutherford and Alana Grace. James Denton, who plays plumber Mike Delfino in the hit series Desperate Housewives, will serve as the celebrity host.
The local co-chairs for the event are Michael F. Sorrell, M.D., and Byers W. Shaw, Jr., M.D. Recognized as one of the top liver disease specialists in the country, Dr. Sorrell was honored for his accomplishments at UNMC earlier this year when a new educational facility was named in his honor. The Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education is scheduled to be completed in 2008.
Dr. Shaw started the liver transplant program and served as chief of transplantation at UNMC from 1985 until 1997 when he was appointed chairman of the department of surgery in the UNMC College of Medicine. Under Dr. Shaw’s direction, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have gained recognition as one of the top solid organ transplant centers in the world.
JRI was founded by James Redford, a liver transplant recipient and the son of actor/director Robert Redford. Redford received liver transplantation at Omaha’s Nebraska Medical Center in 1993.
“I had a life-threatening immune disorder,” said Redford, who lives in California with his wife and two children. “I would not be here today if I had not received the transplants. After going through this life-changing experience, I decided to dedicate my life to educating the public about the tremendous need for organ and tissue donation.”
Currently, more than 93,800 Americans are listed on the national transplant waiting list. JRI raises awareness about organ and tissue donation through film, educational outreach and its Web site: www.jrifilms.org. To date, the organization has produced three films including “Flow,” a touching depiction of an encounter between a donor family member and a recipient that is currently being used by schools across the country to teach children about organ donation and how it can save lives.
The funds raised from the Omaha benefit will be used to support a program that enlists youth ages 12-18 to help create animated public service announcements promoting organ donation and educational outreach on the Web. A portion of the proceeds will also be directed to youth education programs offered through the medical center’s organ transplant program.
“It is critically important to work with young people,” said Annie Aft, JRI’s director. “When teens get their driver’s licenses, they are faced with making a decision about organ donation, often without ever having really thought about the issue. Our goal is to help them make an informed decision.”
Tickets to “Share the Beat” will be available starting Jan. 18 through The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. General reserved tickets cost $150, and premium reserved tickets cost $200. Patron tickets cost $500 and feature Gold Circle premiere seating, complimentary valet parking and the opportunity to meet and mingle with the performers during aed post-event dessert reception. For more information, call (402) 345-4849 or go online at www.SharetheBeat.org.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology, ophthalmology and arthritis. UNMC’s research funding from external sources is now nearly $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes more than 460 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties. They practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC’s teaching hospital. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.