118,000 People Are Waiting For An Organ
If you're not familiar with Joey Gase, he is the driver of the No. 52 Chevrolet for Jimmy Means Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity series. You also catch Joey part-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Gase’s mother, Mary Jo, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in April 2011. Just eighteen years old at the time, Joey made the courageous decision to donate her organs. His mom’s organs were able to provide new life to a number of individuals in desperate need of a transplant.
The experience sparked a fire in Joey to spread the word far and wide about the importance of organ, tissue and eye donation. His passion for sharing the message about donation rivals his passion for racing; and that is saying something.
Morgan's Farm also emerged out of a labor of love. Jacquelyn Chandler-Rupp was a transplant dietitian for Carolinas Medical Center for several years. She supported them as their registered dietitian, covering liver kidney and heart transplant patients before, during and after transplant.
Her tenure there demonstrated just how heartbreaking donor families’ experience is as well as those awaiting transplant. It became very real to Jacquelyn that the caregivers are suffering and there was nothing available to support them.
When she took six months off to be with her daughter and son who were adopted out of foster care, Jacquelyn was contacted by one of the hepatologists she knew through the transplant department at Carolinas Medical Center. Dr. Hansen asked her to come to Charlotte gastroenterology and hepatology and start a part-time nutrition Counseling Practice.
Also during this time, Jacquelyn was living on the farm and growing a lot of their own food. Her desire to support Donate Life and Joey Gase developed in part due to her background in transplant and all of the wonderful friends she had made.
Jacquelyn became acquainted with Jonathan Jones, the son of Jimmy and Sarah Jones who started Helping Hands Village. The rest is history as they say. Ms. Rupp has been involved in their Mission ever since.
“I feel so strongly that there's a need for promoting donation and support of caregivers of transplantation patients,” Jacquelyn Chandler-Rupp summarized. “I have been an advocate for years.”
Yup Joey Gase and Morgan's Farm have a lot in common!
— Morgan's Farm (@MorgansFarmNC) May 29, 2017
“Since placing the ad on Joey's car . . . . . we are well on our way to starting a very profitable wonderful business promoting locally grown foods and Artisans; and teaching people survival skills here on Morgan’s Farm." Jacquelyn detailed. "The day of NASCAR I brought my mother with me and we had a fantastic time I had never been to a NASCAR race before. It was a tremendous experience that I will never forget and I will surely place another ad on Joey Gase and the Donate Life car."
Joey Gase did his Morgan's Farm Chevrolet proud. On May 27, Joey qualified for the Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the thirty-fifth (35th) position. After the drop of the green flag, he worked his way through the pack finishing on the lead-lap in twenty-third (23rd). The solid finish vaulted him into the Top-Twenty of the Xfinity Series driver standings.
Morgan's Farm is located at 3141 Dallas Cherryville Highway, Dallas, North Carolina 28034. They will be supporting Helping Hands Village Donate Life every month as they plan to have ‘Ag and Arts Day’ all through the year. She also sponsored Joey Gase’s car for the Hisense 4K TV 300. (NASCAR Race Mom was pleased to be at the race!!!)
Morgan's Farm Official Grand Opening
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on June 24th.
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