Impact of Your Support
Posted on 11/30/2021 by Maggie Mackenzie |
November 30th 2021
Dear Community Member,
On behalf of the Board, I remain grateful for your ongoing support of Northwest Kidney Kids. Over the past year, the organization provided new and substantive programming to support its mission to empower regional children towards life-long success.
The fact that this expanded programming has occurred during the pandemic speaks volumes to the dedication of the families, friends, and community members working in concert to enhance the lives of the kidney kids and their families.
I am pleased to highlight these innovative initiatives and their expected impact on the kidney kids.
NW Kidney Kids now has a comprehensive Mentoring Program featuring three lines of outreach: towards new families; regarding preteen and teenage kidney kids directly; and a focus on siblings of kidney kids.
The organization engages with the kidney kids throughout the year. This includes a
panoply of Camp style events. Family Day in August at Willamette Mission State Park
brought the community together for fun-filled outdoor events, fostering old and new
friendships. (Pending state guidelines, NW Kidney Kids plans to reinvigorate the
camping experience this coming year with Winter Retreat and Youth Summer Camp and
a Family Camp Weekend.)
The Young Ambassadors Program is up and running and popular! Young adults who
have lived the youth kidney experience and “graduated” from NWKK, now volunteer as
mentors, counselors, and program developers for NWKK. Through their service, they
exemplify the lasting legacy of the organization.
Through its Clinical and Educational Support networks, NW Kidney Kids provides both
medical and emotional support for patients and families, ranging from blood pressure
monitors to art therapy for children on dialysis.
And entering in its fifth year, NW Kidney Kids will offer the Suzanne Billings Memorial
Scholarship to another kidney kid dedicated to their personal journey in higher education
or a career vocation.
The backstory to all these wonderful programs is the devotion and dedication to the mission by the staff and volunteers of NW Kidney Kids. Two of our staff members, Maggie and Mackenzie, sustained enthusiasm, provided leadership, and creatively managed so much of what NW Kidney Kids did this past year, all the while undergoing successful kidney transplants themselves. My heart and best wishes goes out to each of them as it does to each of you for your ongoing engagement and support.
Last year, I was hopeful that the pandemic would pass and we would return to a more normal pattern of community engagement. The events of the past year have taught otherwise. From the perspective of this organization, the pandemic provided challenges that inspired innovation and aided the community, and that is a lesson I am forever grateful to have learned and applied.
As you review your end-of-the-year gift giving and look forward to a new and better year, we hope you will make a donation toward NW Kidney Kids and its essential and evolving programming.
All my best wishes to you,
David Rozansky MD, PhD, Board President, NW Kidney Kids
If you wish to donate on this Giving Tuesday head over to our Donate Page! |
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