ROCKVILLE, Md.—The American Kidney Fund said July 19 that it was named a health charity organization of choice in a four-year partnership with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which was the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women.
The official announcement took place last week at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s 64th Biennial International Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.
“We are pleased that Alpha Kappa Alpha’s new International President, Attorney Carolyn House Stewart, has chosen kidney disease awareness as one of her health initiatives,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund. “It is an honor to partner with an organization with such a strong legacy of service and commitment to health in communities around the world.”
With the partnership, the American Kidney Fund will join more than 250,000 women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., to raise awareness of kidney disease and its risk factors through health and education-focused activities.
Some elements of the partnership include collaboration on regional health fairs and forums, distribution of health literature and information, implementation of health screening initiatives, and collaboration on events and other fundraising activities to benefit people with and at-risk for kidney disease.
Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It has more than 260,000 members in graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, the U. S. Virgin Islands, the Caribbean, Canada, Japan, Germany, Korea and on the continent of Africa.
“Kidney disease awareness was chosen as one of our health initiatives because I believe there is a great need for us to sound the alarm around kidney disease and its leading risk factors – diabetes and high blood pressure,” said attorney Carolyn House Stewart, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s International president. “It is fitting that we would join with the American Kidney Fund in this effort to spread awareness, as the American Kidney Fund is not only the nation’s leading charitable organization in providing financial assistance to kidney patients, but also provides education and awareness to those at risk for kidney disease.”
For more information about the partnership, visit http://www.kidneyfund.org/aka.
