Organ Donation Highlights Benefit for Harbor House June 15

The importance of organ donation – or sharing the gift of life – will be highlighted during the Harbor House benefit dinner, “And the Beat Goes On…,” Saturday, June 15, at the Doubletree Inn in Henrietta.

Harbor House is a home-away-from-home for out-of-town patients and their families who come to University of Rochester Medical Center for heart transplant or other critical care. The event raises funds to keep the house open and affordable.

 

Rob Kochik, executive director of the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, will be the keynote speaker. As leader of the organ procurement organization affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center, Kochik is dedicated to raising awareness of the need for growth of the state’s organ donor registry. New York ranks 48^th out of our 50 states in enrollment, based on per capita registry enrollment.

The seventh annual event, which begins at 6 p.m., includes dinner, a variety of raffles, including baskets donated by staff from various units of Strong Memorial Hospital, and auctions featuring artwork created by Harbor House guests and transplant patients. Event host Doug Emblidge, 13 WHAM- TV anchor, will lead the live auction.

 

“Harbor House serves an important need for people traveling long distances for specialty care at the University of Rochester Medical Center,” said Rob Wackerman, president of the Harbor House Board of Directors. Last year patients’ loved ones received more than 1,550 nights of rest at the home, which is located within walking distance of the Medical Center. 

Tickets to the benefit are $50 and available by calling (585) 473-1779, or online at harborhouseofrochester.org.