For the Gazette
PORTAGE COUNTY – KidneyShare: The Gift Of Life will be held on Oct. 30, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., at O’so Brewing in Plover, 1800 Plover Rd.

The purpose of KidneyShare: The Gift Of Life is two fold: to heighten awareness of the 100,000 Americans waiting for a life-saving kidney (3,000 persons are added to that list each month and 13 die every day because of the shortage of both living and deceased kidney donors), and to educate the public of the importance of kidney health and maintenance.

KidneyShare: The Gift Of Life will feature a very special guest: Devyn Prielipp, Miss Wisconsin for America 2019. Devyn is a living kidney donor who made her donation in memory of her mother, a victim of domestic violence.

Other presentations, followed by several minutes of questions and answers, will be delivered by:

Chad Franzen, WSAW Channel 7 meteorologist, whose father was a kidney recipient.

Dawn Lyons-Woods, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, whose daughter Emily, died at 19 from a snowmobile accident, and was a deceased kidney donor.

Paul Osterholm, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin: will speak of the proposed “Brianna’s Law” that would allow minors age 15 1⁄2 and- up, with parental permission, to sign-up as kidney donors when applying for a 4-wheeler, snowmobile or similar off-road vehicle licenses.

Emily Nowak, Wausau, Wisconsin. Emily saw a man attending a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game stand up with a t-shirt stating that he needed a kidney. Emily became the kidney donor for that man.

Michael Crowley, CEO National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin will discuss kidney disease and prevention.

Alison Snortheim, Auburndale, Wisconsin. Married, 25 yr. old mother of 2, looking for a living kidney donor.

Mark and Lynn Scotch, Plover, Wisconsin, will present a slide show focused on The Organ Trail – a kidney donation journey. Mark, a living donor, has recently completed a 1,500 mile bicycle marathon from Madison, Wisconsin to Natchitoches, Louisiana as a way of advocating for kidney disease and donor awareness. He is enroute on a second 1,600 mile bicycle journey traveling from Martha’s Vineyard to his home in Plover.

Mark is a finalist in the USA Today Humankind Triumph of the Year program.

Dan Mahoney, Village of Plover Administrator, will present a special proclamation specific to kidney health awareness.All speakers will be available after the program for Q&A.

Prior to the kick-off of KidneyShare: The Gift Of Life, there will be three levels of bicycle rides open to the public:

11:00 a.m. – 1:45 pm: Road Bike Ride

11:00 a.m. – 1:45 pm: Long Mountain Bike Ride

11:30 p.m. – 1:45 pm: Short Mountain Bike Ride

1:00 p.m. – 1:45 pm: Family Bike Ride

For additional information: 678-488-1996 or ml.scotch@nkdo.org.