America’s Got Talent Stars: Detroit Youth Choir Perform for MOTTEP

DETROIT - If you haven’t had a chance to see The Detroit Youth Choir, “America’s Got Talent” stars and our hometown superstars perform live, this Sunday will be your opportunity to experience a live soul-stirring performance. The choir will perform at the 10^th annual Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Foundation Program (MOTTEP), Gospel Concert, “The Sounds of Saving Lives Concert.”  This will be a great opportunity to learn about the MOTTEP organization while enjoying entertainment by some of this city’s young and talented superstars.

“Our 2019 theme has been “Let’s Talk” to inspire more discussions about the crucial need for organ and tissue donation in multicultural communities,” said Remonia Chapman, Gift of Life’s community outreach manager and director of Gift of Life MOTTEP.  “For ten years Gift of Life MOTTEP has provided information and inspiration about the message of organ and tissue donation at our Sounds of Saving Lives concert.   This free concert will feature; the award-winning Detroit Windsor Dance Company, Sam Pickens, Arnesia Jones, The Voices of Second Canaan and The Detroit Youth Choir.  The concert will be emceed by Sounds of Saving Lives will be emceed by Bobby Howard, a 25-year kidney recipient, Director of the Multicultural Donation Education Program, LifeLink of Georgia and Terra DeFoe, a donor mother and Senior Advisor to Mayor Mike Duggan on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.”

Nearly 3,000 people in Michigan are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. More than 46% of those waiting are minorities, who suffer from hypertension and diabetes at a disproportionately higher rate. “It is critical that we encourage conversations about the importance of organ and tissue donation in order to positively impact our communities,” said Remonia Chapman, Gift of Life’s community outreach manager and director of Gift of Life MOTTEP

Founded by Dr. Clive O. Callender, the organization has been aggressively striving to help solve the number one nation-wide problem in transplantation – the shortage of donors. The first and only organization of its kind, MOTTEP has educated communities worldwide on minority organ donation and healthy lifestyles that can prevent the need for transplants.

Minorities have had a history of being reluctant to donate due to multiple factors: lack of awareness, religious beliefs, medical distrust, fear of premature death and racism. Data on the growth in African American donation rates were analyzed from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) statistics.

National Donor Sabbath Observed two weekends before Thanksgiving, seeks to educate faith-based communities about the need for organ, eye and tissue donors.  

The Free “Sounds of Saving Lives” Gospel Concert will be held on Sunday, November 10, at 4 pm at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, 18700 James Couzens.