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The Purpose of the Brighton Kidney Walk
The Brighton Kidney Walk is designed to bring many interested, concerned people together in one place to support patients who have this disease, help people understand more about kidney disease and help them learn how to prevent it.

Our financial goal is to raise $100,000 to support the Peer Mentor Program
of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan for the coming year.

Our Ultimate Purpose: to fund the training and deployment of at least one peer mentor in each of the state's 150 dialysis centers.
Accomplishing this goal will take us $100,000 per year for the next five years to reach that goal. But we know this is something that really can be accomplished in that length of time. Here's what happens when we achieve that goal:

Each peer mentor can work with about 8 people in a year's time.
If we have at least one peer mentor in each of the state's 150 dialysis centers, we can reach 1200 people a year.
Over the lifetime of each of those 1200 people, the effect of peer mentors on those kidney disease sufferers will result in a savings of $100,000 in medical care costs.
The effect over 1200 people would be to bring about a savings in total halthcare costs of $120 million!
We want to achieve this goal!
Reaching this goal also means that 1200 people a year who are afflicted with kidney disease receive the life-normalizing effects of their peer mentors. They can learn to live normal lives again, have hope for the future, be productive and find life once again rewarding, despite their disease.

Your financial contribution and your participation in the Brighton Kidney Walk are urgently needed to achieve this goal!

A Larger, National Perspective
The National Kidney Foundation sponsors walks all over the country from early spring until late fall.

The Kidney Walk is a non-competitive walk focusing on education and prevention of kidney and urinary tract diseases, and on raising awareness of the need for organ donation.

The Kidney Walk presents an occasion for dialysis patients, organ transplant recipients, donor families, living donors, the medical and business communities, and the general public to celebrate life and create lasting community advocacy and long-term support for the Foundation's mission.

While raising funds for the National Kidney Foundation's programs and services, the Kidney Walk provides an opportunity for family, friends and colleagues to participate in an inspiring, community-based event.

Why Walk in the Brighton Kidney Walk?

Chronic kidney disease is a public health problem affecting 26 million Americans
Risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure and family history
One in nine American adults have kidney disease and most don’t know it
92,000 people are waiting for organ transplants
17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant

When you walk with us and make a contribution, you're helping us give an important public health message to the whole community, AND you're helping kidney patients and their families by giving them the community support they need to keep going every day.

BKW HOME	DONATE to BKW	BE a BKW SPONSOR	PEER MENTORING PROGRAM
BKW PURPOSE	BKW GOAL for 2008	BKW RECOGNITION	BKW SCHEDULE OF EVENTS