LifeBanc Kicks Off Spoken Word for Life Tour

LifeBanc Kicks Off Spoken Word for Life Tour

Free concerts in Cleveland and Akron Shine Spotlight on Local Artists

CLEVELAND, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeast Ohio's premiere spoken word and hip-hop artists will unite for the first time on stage later this month for two free concerts that will help spread the word about the urgent need for organ donors. The concerts will be held Saturday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Cleveland State University's Waetjen Auditorium and Thursday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. at The University of Akron's Student Union Ballroom A & B.

Sponsored by LifeBanc -- Northeast Ohio's organ procurement organization - - and WENZ 107.9 FM, the concerts will feature a unique blend of live music and spoken word performances by MC Chief Rocka Q-Nice, Daniel Gray-Kontar (a.k.a. Replife), Kelly Harris, Nolana "Liberty" Price and Chris Webb. Additionally, the Cleveland School of the Arts Dance Ensemble will perform original choreography interwoven with testimonials from actual organ recipients.

"There is a great need to increase awareness about organ donation. Spoken word is an innovative way for us to effectively broach the topic of organ donation, provide vital information and encourage people from all walks of life to register as organ donors," said Dr. Toni Morton, D. Min., MBA, MT(ASCP), community educator for LifeBanc.

The concerts are an extension of a radio advertising campaign LifeBanc produced early this year that employed the art of spoken word poetry to raise awareness for organ donation within the African-American community. Five poems, delivered by Northeast Ohio's finest poets, rappers and spoken word performance artists, explored organ donation and the lives of people that organ donation has affected. The aim was to inspire listeners to help create a new kind of list -- a list that saves lives.

LifeBanc's efforts have been successful. Recent polls indicate an increased awareness of organ donation, increased consent rate for donation and increased number of organ donors. However, there continues to be an urgent need for organ and tissue donors in Northeast Ohio and across the United States. Nearly 100,000 men, women and children nationwide are awaiting a life- saving organ transplant. This includes more than 25,000 African Americans and over 1,400 people in Northeast Ohio.

Northeast Ohio's spoken word community has embraced the cause and is helping to fuel a grass roots movement within the African-American community.

MC Chief Rocka Q-Nice, an emcee, poet, actor and producer of the Spoken Word For Life Tour, was inspired to get involved in this project by a friend who was a living donor.

"That experience helped me realize that people are sometimes put off because they don't have the right information. Well, now we're giving people that information through poetry," he said.

Daniel Gray-Kontar, a.k.a. Replife, a poet, journalist and rapper, found inspiration to lend his talents to the tour from his grandmother, who donated her eyes after she passed away in 1992.

"We never really have these kinds of conversations about being an organ donor," said Gray-Kontar. "Hopefully this project will start bringing people to that point."

About LifeBanc

LifeBanc is the nonprofit organ procurement and tissue recovery agency serving Northeast Ohio, linking organ and tissue donors and those whose lives hang in the fragile balance, waiting for a transplant. LifeBanc services more than 4.3 million people in Akron, Cleveland and Youngstown, collaborates with more than 80 hospitals and works closely with three transplant centers -- Akron City Renal Transplant Center, The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals of Cleveland -- in an effort to bring life to those who so desperately need it. It is LifeBanc's vision that no person will die waiting for a transplant and that everyone will come to know and understand the privilege and responsibility of donating life. For more information, visit www.lifebanc.org.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: LifeBanc

CONTACT: Chuck Heald of LifeBanc, +1-216-283-7057, or
chuckh@lifebanc.org; or John McCauley of Brokaw, +1-216-685-4529, or
jmccauley@brokaw.com, for LifeBanc

Web site: http://www.lifebanc.org/

-------
Profile: intent