Seventeen people die each day awaiting an organ donation. In Cincinnati, 261 people are waiting for organs. Local religious leaders are doing their best to raise awareness about organ donation to save some of those lives.

About 350 congregations observed National Donor Sabbath this past weekend by distributing literature about organ donation on behalf of LifeCenter, the area's organ recovery center. Ten of the congregations heard speakers on organ donation, said Jeff Lueders, public affairs manager for LifeCenter.

"All major religious groups in the U.S. support organ donation and leave it up to their parishioners to decide for themselves," Mr. Lueders said.

"We're just hopeful the families will take the information and have a family discussion. The decisions they make about donations can save lives."

LifeCenter has recorded only 37 organ donors this year, but each donor can save the lives of eight people, and with tissue donation can help improve the lives of another 50 to 60 people.

National Donor Sabbath, which began in 1996, is organized locally by the Clergy Coalition on Organ and Tissue Donation, a collection of Tristate clergy which meets through LifeCenter.

"There's a lot of spirituality involved in organ donation," Mr. Lueders said. "All of the people who receive a donation or are on a waiting list have faith that they'll receive the help they need. For many, when they receive a donation, they're not only physically revived but also spiritually because of the gift they've received from another family at a tragic time for them, the loss of a loved one."

Mr. Lueders, who is a heart-transplant recipient himself, said he's made a prayer for the family of the donor and the donor he never met a part of his daily routine.

For more information about organ donation, call LifeCenter at 558-5555 or (800) 981-LIFE.

Holocaust awareness

The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives has a collection of 500 advertisements placed in newspapers and Jewish periodicals between 1942 and 1948 to raise awareness about the Holocaust. The collection, titled "American Media Campaign (1942-1948) To Save the Jews of Europe and Establish a Jewish Homeland," is available for research purposes at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College, 3101 Clifton Ave.

"It brings together in one place a good idea of what was being done to raise awareness about the plight of European Jews," said Kevin Proffitt, the chief archivist at the Marcus Center. "It hasn't really been done anywhere, and it brings together items that normally would be scattered throughout newspapers and libraries."

For more information about the archives, call (513) 221-1875.

Soup kitchen opens

The Lord of Life Lutheran Church Soup Kitchen has opened and will continue to operate on the third Saturday of each month. The soup kitchen, at 6329 Tylersville Road, West Chester, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Donations are welcome. For more information, call Lynn Shake at 777-8449, Ext. 108.

Fun Factory program

Melody Maker Ministries will present a "Pre-Thanksgiving Gospel Skate Jam" from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday at the Fun Factory, 1631 Sherman Ave. in Norwood.

The event will feature DJ Vic spinning contemporary gospel tunes.

Admission is $5 and skate rental is $1.75.