Message from the President and CEO
Dear Friend,
At the American Kidney Fund, every month is Kidney Month and every day is Kidney Day. But in March, we have a special opportunity to focus attention on kidney health and disease prevention as we celebrate National Kidney Month and World Kidney Day.
Last week we teamed up with the Congressional Kidney Caucus to hold the First Annual Kidney Health Fair on the Hill in Washington. Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington state, co-founder of the Kidney Caucus, joined us for an enjoyable event with a serious purpose: educating legislators, Hill staff and the public about the importance of kidney health and how to prevent kidney disease. The American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association were on hand, as well, highlighting the two leading causes of kidney disease: diabetes and high blood pressure.
On World Kidney Day, we are bringing seven of our patient-advocates to Washington to meet with their elected representatives to share their experiences living with kidney disease and to talk about the importance of prevention. No one can communicate better than patients what it’s like to live with kidney disease, and the American Kidney Fund is proud to engage these brave and committed advocates in putting the spotlight on this important issue.
We’re celebrating National Kidney Month in other ways, as well, including our 16th annual Calendar Kids contest, our annual Spring Event in New York and professional education events in Atlanta.
National Kidney Month may be over on March 31, but our work isn’t finished until kidney disease is eradicated. Until then, AKF will continue to be the nation’s leading provider of charitable assistance to dialysis patients who need help with insurance premiums and other treatment-related expenses. We will work tirelessly to get out the message that kidney disease is preventable and that early detection is critical. Won’t you join us in the fight?
To your health,
LaVarne A. Burton
President and CEO
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Spotlight on Health: 7 Tips for Healthy Living
and Healthier Kidneys
 The things that keep you healthy are the same things that will keep your kidneys healthy. Even small changes in diet and lifestyle can make a big difference. National Kidney Month is a great time to think about how you can be good to your kidneys so your kidneys will continue to be good to you.
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Advocates Celebrate World Kidney Day on Capitol Hill
 AKF patient-advocates from around the country are in Washington to help to spread awareness of kidney disease and how it can be prevented on World Kidney Day. This year’s advocates hail from North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio and Maryland and they include dialysis patients, a transplant patient, a patient with CKD, and a family member who lost his father to kidney disease.
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NY Spring Event Honors Nephrologist and
Humanitarian of the Year
 World Kidney Day is an appropriate day to recognize one of New York’s leading physicians, Dr. Barbara Murphy, as AKF Nephrologist of the Year, and her patient, Ellen Susan Bromberg Skolnick, as Humanitarian of the Year. The 5th Annual New York Spring Event will bring together New York’s renal community for a celebration of two people who are making a difference in the lives of people living with kidney disease.
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Calendar Kids Art Contest is Underway!
 Calling young artists: AKF is accepting entries for the 16th annual Calendar Kids art contest. Selected artwork selected will appear on the front cover and on each of the 12 months of the American Kidney Fund’s 2012 calendar, along with photos of the artists. The 13 winners will receive a netbook computer, a $1000 education savings bond and multiple copies of the calendar to share with family and friends. The cover art winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. with a parent or guardian.
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Professional Education Events in Atlanta
 In Atlanta, AKF will hold two conferences, “The Boomers Are Coming: Quality Care in Kidney Disease,” for renal professionals on March 15, and “Identifying Chronic Kidney Disease and Slowing its Progression,” a dinner symposium for primary care professionals in partnership with Georgia Power. Providing continuing education opportunities for the medical professionals who are on the front lines of the fight against kidney disease is a key component of AKF’s work.
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Make Your Steps Count in Washington!
 You can make a difference in the nation’s capital on June 11 as AKF kicks off its annual series of Steps That Count fundraising walks at Nationals Park in Washington. Every step you take helps a kidney patient live more fully in the face of this devastating disease. When you walk, you’re supporting the work of AKF, which helps 1 out of every 4 patients with their treatment-related expenses, and reaches millions of people annually who are at risk for kidney disease.
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