The American Kidney Fund (AKF) in Rockville received a $275,000 grant from Rockville-based Schattner Foundation.
The grant will benefit people in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area living with kidney failure, children living with kidney disease and people living with kidney failure who have been impacted by a natural disaster.
According to AKF, one in seven Americans live with kidney disease.
With help from the foundation’s $25,000 Leadership Gift, AKF will establish a new designated fund for its Disaster Relief Program, which is the nation’s sole rapid-response system that provides emergency financial assistance to dialysis and recent transplant patients who have been impacted by natural disasters, including hurricanes, tornados, flooding and wildfires.
The money will be used to cover expenses related to lost medications and special kidney-friendly foods, temporary housing and transportation to treatment and replacement clothing and personal essentials.
“AKF is grateful for the Schattner Foundation for their support in taking this proactive step to ensure there are funds available for as many patients as possible when a disaster strikes,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO.
“Natural disasters can change people’s lives in an instant — especially if you have kidney failure — and unfortunately, they are becoming more frequent and more severe. The foundation’s generous gift enables AKF to be prepared to help for when the unexpected happens.”
The grant also will support AKF’s Greater Washington Metropolitan Area Safety Net Financial Assistance Program, which offers grants of up to $250 a year to low-income dialysis and transplant patients living in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia to help pay for treatment-related costs that are not covered by health insurance.
More than 40,000 people in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area live with kidney failure, and an estimated 80% of these residents cannot work due to their treatment regimen demands, according to the AKF.
Last year, AKF provided $159,000 in grants to 628 people.
Since 2022, the foundation’s funding has helped AKF run its national virtual camp program, which provides activities on a monthly basis for children living with kidney disease.
“The Schattner Foundation’s ongoing support will no doubt continue to make a lasting impact on hundreds of families who are living with kidney disease, and the physical, financial and mental challenges of a life with chronic illness,” said Burton.
The Schattner Foundation was established by Dr. Robert I. Schattner, a local dentist, inventor, businessman and philanthropist who died in 2017 from complications of kidney failure.
“On behalf of the Schattner Foundation, we are pleased to continue supporting the American Kidney Fund’s unique programs like the virtual camp, Safety Net Grant Program and Disaster Relief Grant Program,” said Robert H. Sievers, treasurer of the Schattner Foundation.
AKF's National Virtual Camp enriches the lives of children living with kidney disease by allowing them to just be kids.💙 Do you know a #pediatrickidneypatient? Encourage them to join our National Camp Program: https://t.co/azC2CaPwQ2 pic.twitter.com/2gkUB3HQ8D
— American Kidney Fund (@KidneyFund) July 15, 2024
