Area Church Urges African-Americans to Join Organ Donor Registry | Community Spirit

This Sunday, June 10, at West Side Missionary Baptist Church (4675 Page Boulevard), church leaders and parishioners will try to raise awareness for the need for more organ donors among the African American community by hosting a registry drive honoring one of their own.

Right now there are more than 100,000 Americans on the organ transplant waiting list. While 29 percent of the total candidates are African American, this group comprises just 14 percent of organ donors.

This disparity is particularly significant because transplant recipients are more likely to find a tissue match from those in their own racial or ethnic group.

Right now, more than 300 African Americans waiting for a transplant in the St. Louis area alone.

Senior Pastor Rev. Ronald L. Bobo will be calling upon the congregation to come together for Rev. Lauren Hickman—aide to Pastor Bobo—who is currently waiting for a kidney transplant.

Service attendees will not only hear remarks from Pastor Bobo, asking the community to come together to support this important cause and a member of their own congregation, but also from Larry Bonds, a heart transplant recipient who knows firsthand the importance of organ donation.

Immediately following the conclusion of Sunday’s services, parishioners will attend the registration drive provided by Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS) and have the opportunity to immediately join the Missouri Organ and Tissue Donor Registry on site.