James Redford and the American Society of Transplantation Bring the Share the Beat Event to San Francisco March 11

James Redford and the American Society of Transplantation Bring the Share the Beat Event to San Francisco March 11

--Annual fundraiser benefits organ donation awareness and transplantation research through the AST endowment and the Redford AnimAction Project--

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Transplantation (AST) and James Redford will host the seventh annual Share the Beat®event, benefiting organ donation awareness and transplantation research through the AST endowment and the Redford AnimAction Project: It's A RAP!, an educational program dedicated to raising organ donation awareness. This year's event will take place at the Regency Center in San Francisco on Friday, March 11, 2011, at 8:00 pm.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110119/PH32767LOGO )

"We take Share the Beat on the road to a different city each year in order to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation," states Redford. "More than 100,000 people are currently on the waiting list for a transplant, and each day, 19 people die waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs."

The evening will feature musical appearances from Alex Band (The Calling),whose song"Wherever You Will Go" topped Billboard magazine's Best of the Decade Adult Top 40 Songs in 2009, as well as Grammy-nominated songwriter Greg Barnhill, whose songs have been embraced by artists including Etta James, Martina McBride, Jessica Simpson and Chicago. Up-and-coming artists Chris Pierce and Shasta Baca will also take the stage.

"I have been personally affected by our country's dire need for organ donors," states Alex Band. "There is so much we can do to raise awareness for this cause, and I won't stop until the job is done. It only takes a few minutes to register to become a donor, and you can wind up saving the lives of many."

Throughout the night, several people who have been affected by the power of transplantation will share their personal stories, including James Redford, who received a life-saving liver transplant in 1993, and Reg Green, whose 7-year-old son Nicholas was killed in Italy in 1994. Green and his wife made the decision to donate their son's organs, changing the lives of seven Italian adults and children.

Also in attendance will be Janet Brine, whose daughter Eva Markvoort died in March of cystic fibrosis. Markvoort opens up about her life, family and experiences, including undergoing a lung transplant and her subsequent transplant rejection in the Oprah Winfrey Network Documentary Film Club selection 65_RedRoses.

"James [Redford], Reg and Janet are wonderful ambassadors for organ donation," states AST President Dr. Maryl Johnson. "Organ donation not only impacts transplant recipients and their loved ones, it can also offer grieving families a sense of comfort that their loved ones saved others in need."

Tickets to the event start at $55 and can be purchased at www.sharethebeat.org.

About the Redford AnimAction Project

The Redford AnimAction Project: "It's a RAP!" creates powerful animated public service announcements (PSAs) stressing the importance of organ donation. Students are introduced to the topic of organ donation in an interactive multimedia presentation and then brainstorm, conceptualize, and produce animated PSAs. The purpose of the program is to educate young people so that they are able to make an informed decision about organ and tissue donation.

About AST

The American Society of Transplantation is an international organization of transplant professionals who are dedicated to research, education, advocacy and patient care in transplant science and medicine. The Society comprises more than 3,200 transplant physicians, surgeons, scientists and allied health professionals.

SOURCE The American Society of Transplantation

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110119/PH32767LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
The American Society of Transplantation

CONTACT: Kelly Lange, Brownstein Group, +1-215-735-3470 ext. 108, klange@brownsteingroup.com

Web Site: http://www.a-s-t.org

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