Participants, sponsors, family, friends rallied together to raise funds and awareness in the fight against kidney disease
Tour DaVita Raises $900,000 for Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missions
DaVitaLauren Moughon, 206-724-3826
®, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners, Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services announced that its annual charity bike ride, Tour DaVita®, raised $900,000 to support Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missionsin 2012.
The proceeds from will help fund nine medical missions taking place in 2013 where volunteers will be able to install or repair 112 dialysis machines. Through these missions, Bridge of Life will bring dialysis treatment to more than 600 people in communities that otherwise would not have access to this life-sustaining care.
“Tour DaVita participants collectively rode 70,000 miles, which means that for every four miles a rider completed Bridge of Life can provide a dialysis treatment to someone at one of our partnering clinics – someone’s loved one will receive a second chance at life,” said Lori Vaclavik, executive director for Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missions. “We are proud of all the riders and sponsors who made this gift possible. Because of them, people will live.”
More than 470 participants each pedaled approximately 250 miles over the course of three days in Iowa Sept. 16-18. The ride kicked off in scenic Wilder Park in Allison, Iowa, continuing on through the rolling hills of the American Heartland – all in the effort to raise awareness and funds in the fight against CKD.
Since it started in 2007, Tour DaVita has helped raise nearly $5 million in the fight against kidney disease. Participants have collectively ridden 420,000 miles over the years, challenging themselves and their fellow riders to go as far as possible.
DaVita thanks the sponsors who made this gift of life possible, including , , , , , , , , , , and .
Life-saving dialysis is not available in most of the developing world. Currently there are 112 countries that do not have resources for dialysis or kidney transplants, which directly results in the death of more than one million people a year from kidney failure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize CKD as a major public health problem that not only reduces the quality and length of life, but is also expensive to treat.
Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missions an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to reach people who are disproportionately affected by CKD and live in developing countries abroad and disadvantaged communities in the U.S. Kidney disease is reaching epidemic proportions not only in the United States, but worldwide.
For more information about the 2012 Tour DaVita, please visit .
For more information about Bridge of Life—DaVita Medical Missions, please visit .
DaVita and Tour DaVita are registered trademarks of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
DaVita is the dialysis division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500® company that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading provider of kidney care in the United States, DaVita delivers dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita strives to improve patients’ quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of September 30, 2012, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,912 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 150,000 patients. The company also operated 24 outpatient dialysis centers located in five countries outside the United States. DaVita supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company’s leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit .
Bridge of Life – DaVita Medical Missions, originally founded by DaVita, is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help improve kidney health and save lives by bringing treatment, education, and hope to underserved communities around the world. As of September 30, 2012, Bridge of Life has conducted 30 Medical Missions in 8 countries, installed or repaired 161 dialysis machines, trained more than 380 kidney care professionals, and increased the capacity of clinics to provide an estimated 92,000 treatments to almost 900 additional individuals per year. For more information about the organization, please visit .