Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to Speak at NEDS Event on Thursday, April 30th.

In honor of Naional Donate Life Month, New England Donor Services (NEDS) will host an event at Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture in South Portland to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation.  On Thursday, April 30th at 11:00 am., Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and representtives from the Maine Medical Center Transport Program will join NEDS staff and local partners to speak about the life-saving impact of organ donation.  Bernie & Phyl’s is located at 303 Maine Mall Road, in South Portland.

Bernie & Phyl’s CEO Larry Rubin and his brother, President Rob Rubin have experienced firsthand the impact organ donation can have on families.  Rob recently received a kidney and liver transport from a deceased donor, while Larry, who was diagnosed with kidney disease at a young age, continues to await a living donor kidney.  Their stories emphasize the ongoing need for organ donors, the importance of donor registration and the meaningful differrence donation can make for individuals and families across the region.  This Souh Portland gathering is part of a series of events hosted at Bernie & Phyl’s furniture locations across New England in partnership with NEDS for National Donate Life Month.

This year’s National Donate Life Month comes as NEDS achieved a record number of transplants last year.  In 2025, NEDS coordinated organ donations from 640 deceased donors resulting in 1,692 life-saving transplants.  This record number of organ transplants represents the fifth consecutive year of growth and places NEDS among the nation’s top three organ procurement organizations (OPO) by donor and transplant volume.  Since 2020, NEDS has increased the number of life-saving organ transplants  from New  England organ donors by 65 percent.  In addition, the organization’s Aftercare team provided services to 3,390 new donor famililes last year.  In 2025, NEDS also coordinated 1,628 donor family and recipient letters and 1,426 individuals impacted by organ donation attended NEDS-sponsored events.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is running for Governor to replace lame duck Janet T. Mills.