CHICAGO, Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Chicago is home to a conglomerate of diverse cultures and religions, and although they may not all subscribe to the same doctrine, the majority of them share one objective: the desire to help others and to serve humanity. It is with this purpose that from November 14 to 16, various well-known religions, churches, and temples in Chicago and surrounding areas will join forces to remind their congregations that organ and tissue donation is a remarkable and humanitarian act of compassion and love. Once again, Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network will share their mission and voice with religious leaders and dedicate this time to inform and promote the benefits of donation to people of faith.

The idea of donating the organs of a loved one who has passed away is an emotionally difficult subject for some in the Latino community. One prevailing hesitation that many Latinos have about donation is the uncertainty as to whether or not their religion supports it. It is important to underscore that in recent years a majority of religions have taken an open and proactive approach in support of organ and tissue donation.   

“Gift of Hope has experience with families of different religions, and what we have noticed consistently is that even in their most devastating moments, their desire to help others is remarkable,” explained Raiza Mendoza, Manager of Hispanic Affairs for Gift of Hope. Mendoza continues, “It is these compassionate gestures that nurture our mission and reinforce our commitment to provide accurate information and to continue guiding and helping the Hispanic community in a positive way.”

Among the diverse religious doctrines practiced in the United States is Judaism; one of the most ancient religions whose sacred book, the Torah, serves as a guide for making life decisions. Although the Torah was written thousands of years ago, rabbis have adapted their interpretation to modern-day needs and norms. Rabbi Sidney Helbraun of the Beth-El Temple explains, “When we help save one person, we help to save the entire world. We live in a time, in an incredible world, where we can take a piece of ourselves and allow another to continue living. In other words, in this era, the idea of not donating would be considered a dishonor.”

Although we live in a modern and advanced medical and religious era, a large portion of the population is unaware that a vast majority of religions, from the most ancient to the most modern, support organ and tissue donation. One of the independent and more recent religions in human history is the Baha’i faith (info.bahai.org); whose central principles are unity of God, unity of humanity, and religious unity.

“We believe in serving humanity. Why not give our organs to those that may need them?” expressed Christ Vadden, Director of Activities for the Baha’i Temple in Wilmette Illinois, who has a very personal connection to donation. His wife Lori Vadden is currently on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Lori shared, “The doctor told me that if I don’t do something, I only have one year to live. This is why we should think about organ donation when we are healthy and share our decision to be donors with our loved ones. As followers of the Baha’i faith we believe that donation is a great humanitarian service; it is the most invaluable gift we can give to a family in need.”

The idea that we are connected through a brotherhood, service to one another and to life, transcends many religions, including Catholicism. Despite that, some Catholics and other Christians express their belief that the body should remain intact at the time of death. Father John Dearhammer, pastor at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Schamburg points out, “I have never seen mentioned in the word of God that the body should remain whole, and I consider donation to be an extraordinary act of generosity among people.” These words inspired a miracle within his congregation. Johnny Romo received a second chance at life thanks to Maribel Espinoza, who decided to be his living donor and gave him one of her kidneys. “It was the best decision I could have made,” expressed Espinoza. “Maribel was not his wife or family member, but she decided to give Johnny one of her kidneys. Today they are both healthy and happy thanks to that act of human solidarity,” added Father Dearhammer.

One recurring notion throughout the various religions is an ethic based principle, which considers that a living donation should be voluntary. This is supported and required by transplant centers and shared by Gift of Hope. A person must not be forced or obligated to donate, and organs cannot be bought or sold. Buddhism is one of the religions that reiterate ethics throughout their fundamental teachings, which also include generosity and patience. Hillary Jackson of the Buddhist Center in Little Village explores these fundamentals in support of donation, “In the case of donation, one example would be the gift of a living donation; we have two kidneys and if you are healthy one can be donated. This gesture represents a way to fulfill the principle of generosity.” Buddhists consider organ and tissue donation to be a matter of individual conscience, in which compassion plays a fundamental role.

These beliefs, rules, and values share the same objective, which is to love, help, and protect one another. This message is also emphasized in the Islamic community which makes up approximately 25% of the global population. Karen Danielson of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Chicago says, “Although none of the classical texts discuss this, we have specific guidelines; principles that allow us to understand the significance of the sanctity of life. In fact, the Qur’an has a chapter that clearly states that he who saves a human life, saves all of humanity,” concluded Ms. Danielson.  

Hinduism is one of the most ancient religions in the world and has over 900 million followers. Dr. Shashank Atre, who practices Hinduism, explains, “One of our philosophies is that you are the Universe and the Universe is within you; when you help others you help yourself. When your body is done, your soul travels to the creator; the body is only a shell that will return to nature.” This is why the values of the Hindu faith are positively reflected in the concept of organ and tissue donation.

One religion that we know little about is Sikhism, yet it is practiced by 24 million people all over the world. The Sikh temple leaders are known as gurus. They believe in one God that created all, and the way to serve him is through devotion and service to humanity. Shiva Singh Khalsa, a Sikh representative explained, “We believe that after death, the body serves no purpose, so why not ensure that it does?” Khalsa concludes, “It is important to serve others and if you can do it through an honorable gesture such as organ donation, then this is a way in which one can serve.”

Donation is a gift of life that every human being has the power to give. In the same way we are all without exception susceptible to the possibility of one day needing a transplant. The Unity faith practices a spiritual ideology that is based in the notion that one must search for their purpose on earth. Reverend Heidi Alfrey, a representative of one the Unity churches in Chicago had a very personal experience with organ transplantation; her father suffered from lung disease and lived connected to an oxygen tank for years. He was more than 80 years old but wanted to continue living; his doctor suggested a lung transplant. “My father lived two more years without the oxygen tank, he was a happy soul and we are very grateful for the organ donation that gave us those extra years with him. In the Unity church we believe that when life ends, if the organs are viable and can help, this represents a ‘glimmer of hope’ from God and giving that to another person that needs it makes sense,” states Reverend Heidi.

Although none of the sacred books make an explicit reference to donation, many religious leaders express themselves in a positive and favorable manner regarding it. After examining the beliefs that they represent and practice, it becomes clear that these religions share the most basic and beautiful principles: love, charity, and service to humanity. Although differences exist among the different religions, the message is the same when it comes to donation: The desire to show love for humanity can be fulfilled through the decision to be donors. Gift of Hope reminds us this November, that as people of faith we can embrace the opportunity each day to practice the values that our religious leaders impart in us. Let us share our decision to become donors with our families, and allow our hearts to resonate with the conviction to help one another as we celebrate this National Donor Sabbath Month.

About Gift of Hope

Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network is a nonprofit organization that coordinates donation of organs and tissues with 180 hospitals in Illinois and northeast Indiana. Since its inception in 1986, Gift of Hope has coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 20,000 organ transplant beneficiaries, and bettering the lives of hundreds of thousands of recipients of tissue transplants. For more information: www.giftofhope.org or call: 877-577-3747

BALTIMORE, Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — With almost half the nation’s young children growing up in low-income households, a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation calls for a comprehensive effort to lift kids out of poverty. The report focuses on the importance of delivering high-quality early childhood education while simultaneously providing parents with access to job training, career paths and other tools that enable them to support their families.

The KIDS COUNT^® policy report, Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach, outlines how the public, nonprofit and private sectors must work together to reduce poverty among the 10 million low-income families with young children in the United States. The recommendations propose integrating state and federal employment, education and child care programs for parents and children to create better opportunities for the entire family.

“We hope this report will spark deep commitment in Washington and in board rooms across the country to remove the obstacles that prevent millions of families from putting their kids on a path to success,” said Patrick McCarthy, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation. “For too long, our approach to poverty has focused separately on children and adults, instead of their interrelated needs. We’ve learned a lot about what works in separate areas, but we’re not combining these lessons to break the cycle of poverty.”

The Foundation’s two-generation approach seeks to equip families with the tools and skills to get on a path to opportunity and overcome some of the obstacles they face, such as inflexible and unpredictable jobs that do not offer high enough wages to support a family; lack of access to high-quality, reliable early child care and education; and increased stress levels for parents and children. The report describes specific strategies for addressing these challenges so that parents can fully nurture and support their children and, ultimately, build better futures for themselves and their kids.

The key findings show that nearly a third of children age 5 or younger in low-income families have parents with concerns about their development and that 45 percent of low-income families with young children (age 8 or younger) are headed by single parents, compared with 17 percent of middle- and upper-income families. In nearly 80 percent of low-income families with young children, parents do not have a postsecondary degree, which dramatically highlights the need to equip parents who have limited education with skills that can help them earn a family-supporting income. Additionally, the report emphasizes the need for federal and state agencies, along with businesses and community- and faith-based institutions, to work more closely together so that the whole family can succeed.

The report outlines three broad recommendations:

• Create policies that equip parents and children with the income, tools and skills they need to succeed — as a family and as individuals. State and federal governments should strengthen policies that expand job-training, educational and career opportunities; adopt policies that give parents more flexibility at work, such as paid time off; increase the Child Tax Credit for low-income parents of very young children; and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to increase the income of noncustodial parents.
• Put common sense into common practice by structuring public systems to respond to the realities facing today’s families. State and federal governments should promote collaboration and align policies and programs through interagency commissions and innovation funds. For example, child- and adult-focused state agencies should consolidate their data to look at the whole family. Federal policymakers could take advantage of new legislation and reauthorization periods for Head Start and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, among others, to bring together child and adult programs.
• Use existing child, adult and neighborhood programs and platforms to build evidence for practical pathways out of poverty for entire families. Early childhood, K-12, home-visiting, job-training and supportive housing programs could partner with one another to connect parents with financial coaching, job-readiness assistance, education and other tools to achieve financial stability, while also ensuring their children have access to high-quality care and schooling.

Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach will be available Nov. 12 at 12:01 a.m. EST at www.aecf.org. Additional information is available in the KIDS COUNT Data Center, which also contains the most recent national, state and local data on hundreds of indicators of child well-being. The Data Center allows users to create rankings, maps and graphs for use in publications and on websites, and to view real-time information on mobile devices.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org. KIDS COUNT^® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

SACRAMENTO, California, Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)/Conela and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) announced today the formation of a strategic partnership to advance and deepen Hispanic Christian engagement with the state and people of Israel.

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This cooperative effort will focus on the ICEJ’s annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem serving as the official and exclusive gathering for Hispanic Evangelicals to make pilgrimage to Israel each year and to express in person their support for the Jewish nation and people.

“Our objective is to exponentially increase Hispanic participation and attendance at the annual Feast of Tabernacles, held each fall in Jerusalem under the sponsorship of the Christian Embassy,” said Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the NHCLC/Conela. “We will encourage all followers of Christ in the Latino world to come to Jerusalem at this divinely appointed time, to see the biblical sites, stand in solidarity with Israel, and take part in this dynamic worship experience with believers from all over the world.”

Since 1980, the ICEJ’s Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem has been Israel’s largest annual tourist event, with more than 5,000 Christians from 80 nations attending Feast 2014 last October. The week-long gathering features powerful preaching by leading Christian ministers, dynamic music and worship, and warm encounters with Israelis.

“We are excited about partnering with Dr. Samuel Rodriguez in this new initiative to bring more Hispanic pilgrims to the Feast each year,” noted Dr. Jurgen Buhler, ICEJ executive director. “Their presence in Jerusalem will have a great impact on the Israeli people, and it will only enhance the incredible fellowship we enjoy with Christians from across the globe at this unique biblical festival.”

Feast 2015 will run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, beginning with an outdoor desert celebration at the Ein Gedi oasis along the Dead Sea; communion services in the beautiful Garden Tomb; worship celebrations and teaching seminars in the new Jerusalem Pais Arena; and the popular Jerusalem March through the streets of the capital city.

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem is considered the world’s largest pro-Israel Christian organization, with established branches in over 80 nations and a reach into more than 140 nations worldwide. For more information, visit http://int.icej.org/.

NHCLC/CONELA is the largest Hispanic Christian organization.  It serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and another 500,000 congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking community. For more information, visit http://www.nhclc.org.