– First Baptist Church of Charleston Awarded First Place and Viewer’s Choice –

 WHO:             The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) and its West Virginia Multicultural Task Force

WHAT:          Recognition of the winners of its Pledge for Life Gospel Idol, a singing competition held in celebration of National Donor Sabbath.

After submitting a 90-second DVD or YouTube video showcasing their talent, the top ten finalists performed live at the event, where first, second, third place winners were selected by a panel of judges. A “Viewer’s Choice” winner was selected by the audience.  The following were named winners:

• First place ($1,000): First Baptist Church (Charleston, WV)
• Second place ($750): Paul Temple’s Mime Team (Beckley, WV)
• Third place ($500): Janelle W. Sewell (Charleston, WV)
• Viewer’s Choice ($250): First Baptist Church (Charleston, WV)

WHERE/WHEN:      Pledge for Life Gospel Idol took place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at the West Virginia State University Capitol Center Theatre in Charleston, WV.

DETAILS:                 National Donor Sabbath, celebrated nationally on November 14-16, seeks to bring together faith leaders, donor families, and transplant recipients to highlight the ways that lives can be saved and enhanced through organ, tissue and cornea donation.

Gospel Idol contestants could showcase their talents in the following categories: Gospel singing (solo/group/choir), Christian rap, mime, spoken word and liturgical dance. Participation was free and open to individuals across CORE’s West Virginia and western Pennsylvania service area. There was no age limit for contestants.

PHOTOS:                  Available upon request of each winner.

 About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States.  CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to coordinate the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation.  CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs and placement of corneas.  With headquarters in Pittsburgh and an office in Charleston, West Virginia, CORE oversees a region that encompasses 155 hospitals and almost six million people throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Chemung County, NY.  For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.