Kidney Walk at Cape Henlopen State Park set April 26
The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland serving Delaware’s Kent and Sussex counties will hold its seventh annual Southern Delaware Kidney Walk Sunday, Apr. 26, at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes.
Approximately 600 people are expected to participate in the community fundraiser, which calls attention to the need for organ donation and prevention of kidney disease. Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States and kills more people every year than breast cancer, prostate cancer or leukemia.
“On the Delmarva Peninsula, more than 1,200 people are on dialysis, and 489 people in Delaware are waiting for a kidney,“ said Nicole Scharf, NKF-MD’s director of field services for Eastern Shore of Maryland and Southern Delaware. “Through this walk event, the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland is building awareness, driving prevention, and supporting treatment of kidney disease.”
Kristy Ferracci, an F.M.C. dialysis technician who donated a kidney to her husband, will return to chair this dog-friendly event. Check-in and festivities begin at 9 a.m. at the picnic pavilion.
Following announcements by WBOC-TV’s Evan Koslof, Sussex County bureau chief, and Lindsay Tuchman, video journalist, the walk will kick off at 10 a.m. Participants can choose from a 3.2-mile trail or a shorter trail for strollers and wheelchairs. Refreshments from Panera and Starbucks, music from Moonbeam Entertainment and the Kidney Kids Corner, face painting, a petting zoo and games will all add to the fun.
There is no registration fee, but Cape Henlopen State Park charges an entrance fee for vehicles registered. All Kidney Walk participants who raise a minimum of $100 will earn a 2015 Kidney Walk T-shirt. For preregistration or information about sponsorship or volunteer opportunities, call 410-726-8732 or visit www.kidneywalk.org.
The walks are nationally presented by Mallinckrodt. Top local sponsors include Beebe Healthcare, Christiana Care, Nephrology Associates and Walgreen’s. Returning sponsor Mid-Atlantic Nephrology Associates will distribute orange caps to kidney patients and green caps to transplant donors and recipients so they stand out in the crowd.
Funds raised through Kidney Walk will directly support NKF-MD’s patient services, education and research efforts. More than 6,000 people participated in the 2014 Kidney Walk events, which raised over $475,000. For more information, go to www.kidneymd.org.
