Dr. Patrick Buddle, the longtime director of rehabilitation at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and Jay Arisso Jr., the lead pastor of Today’s Church in Elizabeth, have been named to the board of trustees of the NJ Sharing Network, the group announced.
NJ Sharing Network, based in New Providence, is a federally designated nonprofit organization with the goal of saving and enhancing lives through the recovery of donated organs and tissue around the state. For Buddle, the announcement marks the second time he has served on the board.
Both appointments are effective immediately.
NJ Sharing Network CEO Carolyn Welsh applauded the announcement.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Buddle and Jay to our Board, recognizing their many years of championing our lifesaving mission through their leadership and advocacy efforts,” she said. “Their deep-rooted commitment and invaluable insights will strengthen our ability to drive positive change and save and enhance more lives.”
Buddle, of Manasquan, has volunteered as a member of the Organ Donor Council, the New Jersey State Joint Organ Task Force and the Educational Advisory Board. He previously served on the Sharing Network Foundation’s board of trustees.
Buddle, who worked at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center for more than 30 years, became a living kidney donor in 2002 to help save the life of his physician colleague.
Arisso, of Elizabeth, is a certified grief recovery specialist from the Grief Recovery Institute. His first connection to NJ Sharing Network came in 2007, when he started in a staff role as family support and faith-based outreach coordinator and eventually became manager of family services.
Arisso saw his brother become a living kidney donor to help save the life of their father.
NJ Sharing Network partners with an extensive network of 54 local hospitals to provide hope for the nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and it is part of the national recovery system for the over 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list.
For five consecutive years, NJ Sharing Network has reported organ donation records, and 3.8 million New Jerseyans are registered as organ and tissue donors, according to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
The board, which serves to help guide the strategic efforts of NJ Sharing Network, is composed of a diverse group of individuals from both public and private sectors, many of whom have been touched by donation, including donor families and transplant recipients.
