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Show 6 Lakeside Review Saturday, April 18, 1998 Nation needs organ donors, foundation says By SUSAN TANNER HOLMES Standard-Examin- correspondent FARMINGTON - Less than half of the 55,000 Americans who are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant will receive one, said Deen Vetterli, executive director of the National Kidney Foundation of Utah. In an effort to ease the desperate organ shortage, NKFU is issuing a challenge to all Utahns to consider organ donation during National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, April 19 to 25, he said. We need help in educating everyone about the critical need for organ donors and to encourage them to sign an organ donor card and tell their families, said Vetterli. On average, 10 people die every day waiting for a transplant, yet it is estimated that less than one third of those who could have been an organ donor had signed a card and told their family. National Organ and Tissue 1 Donor Awareness Week is scheduled in conjunction with the Erma Bombeck Donor Awareness Project. Bombeck, a columnist and author, was a kidney transplant recipient. Erma Bom-becname was synonymous with American family life and this project aims to reach families with the important message that giving the gift of life requires a family decision, said Vetterli. There are three steps to becoming a donor: decide to donate organs, share this decision with your family and sign an organ donor card. Talking the decision over with the family is vital. If your next of kin dont know your wishes, this is a terribly stressful time to make such an important decision, said Lance Madigan, public relations manager for NKFU. Annually, only 5,000 people donate their organs, and that number has remained static for the last nine years. The goal of this 1998 organ donor challenge is to honor Erma Bombecks memory by getting 4,000 new people to designate themselves as organ donors during the week. The 4,000 represents the number of columns Bombeck wrote throughout her career. In Utah, nearly 300 Utahns were waiting for a life saving or- gan transplant in 1996, with more than 100 individuals waiting specifically for kidneys. More than 81 percent of all NKFU funds go to programs benefiting Utahns, including patient service support. Each year, more than 125 Utahns die from kidney related diseases. The NKFU serves as a vital resource to the community in education about the cause of and the warning signs of kidney disease and the importance of organ donation. For more information about kidney disease or becoming an organ donor, call NKFU at 1 (800) 869-527- 7. Dont believe those myths By SUSAN TANNER HOLMES Standard Examiner correspondent FARMINGTON - Kidneys are not being illegally harvested in the United States. Its an urban myth run amok, said Dr. Wendy Brown, chairman of the National Kidney Foundation. There is no evidence that such activity has ever occurred in the United States. Dispelling rumors and myths about organ and tissue transplants is the theme for the 1998 National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week from April 19 through 25, sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation of Utah. In truth, transplanting a kidney from a living donor involves numerous tests for compatibility that must be performed before the kidney is removed, said Brown. In the United States, more than 56,000 patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant and about 2,100 new patients are added to the waiting list each month. An estimated 10,000 to 14,000 who die each year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less than half of that number become actual organ donors, said Deen Vetterli, executive director of NKFU. Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years. The NKFU serves as a vital resource to the community in education about the cause of and the warning signs of kidney disease and the importance of organ donation. This includes the distribution of hundreds of thousands of brochures, information packets and organ donor cards, both through the NKFU and its associated coalitions. Public education awareness to the warning signs and danger signals of kidney disease is vital to See ORGAN10 Starting out ahead Do your part to reduce trash It is no secret that many areas the country are facing a waste crisis because theres too much trash and not enough places to put it. As communities find creative, but expensive, solutions to this dilemma, there is much individuals and families can do to reduce garbage. Source reduction and recycling is the answer. Source reduction is any practice that reduces the amount of toxicity of a waste and includes making goods last longer, reusing products and reducing packaging. It is a preferred VOLUNTEER CONNECTION This is a listing of volunteer positions available throughout Davis County. For more For information, call the Davis Corn ty United Way Information & Referral Service at 497-9- 1 II Monday through Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 5 pm. General opportunities . The Utah State Office of Rehabilitation is looking for a volunteer to be a senbe for an individual who is unable to write and needs to take a test June 8, 9, 10 and 11. Contact Juanita McElroy at Davis County FACT has openings for family advocates. Volunteers support and mentor parents with a child or youth who has emotional, behavioral andor mental disabilities. Four to 10 hours per month and special educaUon knowledge are needed. A monthly stipend and mileage reimbursement are available. For more information contact Jane Lewis at Ext. 46. Davis County Needs Assessment needs help with a survey to assess the needs and strengths of Davis County. Phone bank volunteers are needed May 12, 13 and 14. Training will be provided. For more information contact Elisa Pokral at 497-9- 1 1 1. Utah Promise is looking for caring adults to help begin a mentoring program at Davis High School. Volunteers msut be willing to spend about an hour a week building relationships and serving as role models with young people. A background check and training are required and will be provided. Call Kaye Groll at 2 for more information. The Davis County Jail needs volunteers to help with an Inmate Disciplinary Review Board that meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to review inmate violations of jail rules and impose sanction; be pre-trirelease screeners who interview and select mmates to be released from jail while awaiting trial; and assisting visiting officers by sorting inmate mail and taking names of those who wish to visit the inmates. Screening and training will be scheduled as needed. For more information contact Lt. Dan or Horton at 451-42Ogden Nature Center is looking for volunteers to assist with songbird rehabilitation. Nurture orphanedin-jure- d nestlings until they can be released to the wild. Training will be provided. Contact Donna for more in5. formation at Make a Wish Foundation of Utah is forming community commit- tees to focus on wish granting, special events, medical outreach, public and more. Call speaking, fund-raisin- g Mary West for more information at 1 (800) The CASA Program needs adult volunteer advocates for children who are victims of crime. AU adults may apply to be CASA volunteers, but men and individuals who are multilingual are especially needed. Training times and other information may be ootained by calling Jennifer Weaver at The Davis Citizens Coalition Against Violence needs volunteers to help with crisis calls, intake at the shelter, provide support for victims of domestic violence and maintain grounds and the facility. For information about training and scheduling waste management option since it costs less and prevents the generation of waste in the first place. It also saves material resources (such as trees and oil) that must be used to manufacture new products and reduces the air and water pollution often associated with manufacturing of new products. Source reduction can be as simple as reaching for a sponge instead of a paper towel, or as complex as redesigning a product so that less packaging is used. Earth Day is on Wednesday, and it's a good time for all of us to watch what we buy and what we throw away. Alleviate the "garbage gluts by following these basic principles: Reduce the amount of trash we discard. Reuse containers and products. Recycle as much as possible. Reassess activities and express your preferences for less waste. The United States has 6 percent of the worlds population but uses almost 50 percent of the worlds nonrcnewable resources. waste-produci- Tips Tips for the environmentally aware consumer. Buy reusable products and avoid disposables. Buy, maintain and repair rable and fixable products. Reuse bags, containers, paper boxes and other items. Buy products that can be rer cycled and make sure to recycle them. Buy products made of eled materials. Buy nonhazardous products for use around the house. Compost food and waste. Borrow or rent things you use infrequently. Buy, sell or donate used secondary goods such as clothing, furniture and appliances. Be creative - look for opportunities to practice source re- duction. contact Susan Porter at The North Davis Rotary would like responsible adults to become mentors for Explorer Post 600. For further information please contact Howard Whiteway at 479-546Ext. 240. United Way of Davis County in Layton needs a volunteer to help update the Community Resource Directory and help with some general office work. Come help the community in a cheerful office environment. For more information call 497-9- 1 1 1. The Davis County Coalition for Character needs volunteers to assist with various aspects of the Team Up Audrey Hermansen gets a hug from her son, getting a head start on kindergarten. Jason. Jason is in a Head Start class at Crestview Elementary where he is I HEED A HUG: for Character" relay. The race will be held in Clearfield May 2. Please call Kristen Hall at 774-655- 2 or Lenore Robbins at for more information. American Cancer Society of Davis County is seeking volunteer board e members for opportunities such as mleracung with retail out0 Layton family finds help through Head Start program Standard Examiner correspondent Layton - me. It is hard for me. Through Head Start, families can find assistance for other problems, too. The Hermansen home had a leaky roof, but they didnt know it was a big problem. One day Jasons teacher went to the home for a home visit and realized they had a problem with the roof. The Utah Housing Authority helped to get the roof repaired. We can teach them how to access help with the problems they are having," said Scoville. There arc many programs out there that people may qualify for but dont know about. But through Head Start, families are assessed and told about help available to them. We go to their home and get better acquainted and look for resource help for them, Scoville said. The positive thing for me is that they had a window that needed to be fixed and we were able to get it fixed. They had gone from not knowing what to do to doing it on their own, Scoville said. Sometimes the families qualior fy for grants. Hermansen and her twin sister were bom with the RH factor. Her sister died, and at the age of a year and a half Audrey See CLASS10 wont listen to By RUTH MALAN My moms called excitedly to his classmates. Then Jason ran back to the reading circle to listen to the story being read by another students mother. Jason is in a Head Start class at Crestview Elementary where . he is getting a head start on kindergarten. 1 le is the second child in his family to take advantage of the free preschool program sponsored by Davis County School District. Jasons mother will never be able to read to the children as some of the mothers do. But Jason is developing a skill the other children don't have - sign language. His mom, Audrey llcrmanscn, and his dad, David llcrmanscn, are both deaf .and use sign language to speak to each other and their five children - Robert, Andrea, JoAnn, Evan and Jason - who have no hearing impairment. The llcrmanscn children learned to speak by being around their grandparents, cousins and television. And school has helped them, too. It was an advertisement in the newspaper that caught the attention of Audrey Hermansen and introduced her to the preschool that two of her bos have now' attended. She read about Head Start and found it was a free pro gram for low income families. It was through Head Start that Audrey Hermansen met Kaylccn Scoville, her Family Services worker. Eight-year-ol- d Evan started in Head Start when he was younger, and now Jason participates in the program. Head Start helps students have an easy transition into the elementary school system, said Scoville. Before Head Start, Jason a lot of talking, said Hermansen through translator Sonja Hovcy. didnt do Speech therapists help the children in Head Start. When Jason first came to Head Start, he was a little scared. Now he truly likes it a lot. Now he likes to go to church, Hermansen said. The center helps parents to work with children," Audrey Hermansen signed. We learned things about health and safety and took parenting classes. We learned a lot on how to do things better. Sometimes we were quite negative and it helped us to be more positive and how to act. Sometimes the children no-co- st low-inco- lets, physicians, communities and schools, and planning fund-raisin- g events. ACS also needs volunteers to help prepare for the Relay for Lile to be held in June. For information about becoming a board member call Donna at or Dan at For information about ReLife for contact Tracy at lay Catholic Community Services 393-865- 7 546-525- 0. needs volunteers to help in the fixid bank, deliver food boxes to the elderly and homebound, mentor needy people by helping them learn to budget and to heip find housing for families. Also needed arc volunteers to help gather and make Uy-etitems for newborns of families. I or more information contact Yvonne Coiner at 4 The Davis County Food Bank needs volunteers to stock shelves and prepare boxes of food for those in need. To volunteer please call Roger Martin at F Centerville Elementary School needs a volunteer from the community to head their Litcracv Volunteers of Amenta 1 Can Read Program." For more information contact Karen Bell 4 at or Carolee 1 lannery at 299-200- F Bountiful Health Care and Rehabilitation needs volunteers to read to residents of all ages, to help with activities and outings, and to be a friend. For more mlormation, contact Shirleen or Penney at 4 F Pioneer Adult Rehabilitation Center needs help with light office work and covering lunch breaks. Flours are extremely flexible. For more information contact Cheryl at F The Arc of Davis County needs a volunteer to be a friend and an advocate to a mildly relarded. disabled woman J or more inlor-maticall Sherry Aldrich at 299 9788 F Autumn Glow Senior Center in Kaysville needs volunteers to help deliver Meals on Wheels, help in the kitchen and teach china painting For See HELP10 |