Are you an organ donor? According to data from OPTN (Organ Donor and Transplantation Network) there are more than 113,000 people waiting to receive an organ donation. Rowan students are educating the public about organ donation and how your choice to be an organ donor can help save a life. Ezno Ronchi, a junior public relations major, is one of those students.
Enzo, originally from Ventnor, NJ, transferred to Rowan University from Atlantic Cape Community College and is currently living on-campus in the Robo apartments. Enzo has been working diligently to promote organ donation over the past couple of months since he began preparing to execute Organ Donor Day – an annual event held on Rowan’s campus for the last 26 years. The event is sponsored by Gift of Life’s Donor Program and Rowan’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. Enzo first got involved in this event through one of his courses – PR Practicum – provided by the Public Relations & Advertising Department.
Organ Donor Day is meant to promote and encourage more people to become organ donors and acts as a social event that encourages the community, students, and faculty to come together. The event is designed to be family-friendly with carnival-like games, free food and beverages. There’s an opportunity to mingle and get any information you may need on organ donation. There will be several resources available to inform you about the facts of organ donation as well as individuals who will be available to address any concerns or questions. You can even register as an organ donor, if you’re not already.
Organ Donor Day Details:
- WHEN: April 9, 2019, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- WHERE: Rowan University’s Chamberlain Student Center Patio
- WHY: Free food and drink, carnival games, family-friendly environment, fun people to mingle with, and learn more about the importance of being an organ donor
Through this experience Enzo had the opportunity to use the skills and methods taught by the public relations program in a “real-world” situation. Primarily, Enzo got to focus on promoting the event through various media channels.
“I’ve been in charge of contacting internal and external media; this included Rowan Radio, the college newspaper The Whit, and Rowan Blog. I created a personalized media pitch letter to be sent out to all individual media outlets along with a flyer and a one page fact sheet,” Enzo mentioned. Through his efforts Enzo was even able to promote the event on NJ.com. Some of his other responsibilities included formatting and providing content for the news release, contacting donors to receive donations for the event, and will also assist in executing the event the day of.
With what he’s learned so far, Enzo plans to further enhance his college experience by becoming more involved with Rowan’s PRSSA chapter. He plans to join the 2019-2020 E-Board as the Secretary and SGA Representative – his duties will include attending weekly meetings, taking meeting notes, notifying general members of upcoming events, and act as PRSSA’s liaison with SGA (Student Government Association). Since attending Rowan, Enzo has learned to better acclimate to uncertain situations, coordinate and handle multiple assignments at once, and properly manage a multitude of facets associated with event planning.
Rowan University gave Enzo the opportunity to harness his talents in public relations and gave him the resources to become a better professional. Enzo explains, “Rowan has helped me to become a better writer, taught me to hold a better work-ethic, and be more open to new possibilities. I’m very grateful for the experience I’ve had with PR Practicum and I encourage new students to get more involved.”
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Written and photographed by: Alexander Belli, senior public relations and advertising major