DENVER—The fourth annual Tour DaVita , a three-day, 240-mile bike ride to raise awareness and funds to fight chronic kidney disease, will begin this weekend in Tacoma, Wash.
The ride includes more than 400 DaVita employees, family members and friends from around the country.
To participate in Tour DaVita, riders raised a minimum of $750 to $2,000 in donations each and paid their own travel expenses. Their individual fundraising combined with donations from DaVita and other corporate sponsorship is expected to contribute more than $700,000 to The Kidney TRUST™, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to reduce the human and economic cost of chronic kidney disease across the United States.
By the end of the 2010 ride, more than 1,200 DaVita employees, physicians, family members and friends will have participated in the four Tours DaVita – riding more than 250,000 miles collectively and raising more than $2.3 million.
“The League of American Bicyclists calls Washington the ‘#1 Most Bicycle-Friendly State,’ which makes it a great fit for the more than 400 cyclists who will be riding in Tour DaVita," said DaVita Chairman and CEO Kent Thiry, who will also be participating in the ride. "Many DaVita teammates, families and friends trained hard for this event, which has grown every year because of their unwavering dedication to the fight against kidney disease.”
Since 2007 The Kidney TRUST has administered more than 13,000 kidney screenings as part of its CKD rapid-testing program and made more than 700 individual grants totaling $1.5 million to help people on dialysis manage medical costs.
“Chronic kidney disease is a largely unknown but unquestionably deadly epidemic in the United States,” said Annette Eros, president and CEO of The Kidney TRUST. “This ride creates a terrific opportunity for people to get involved and make a difference while showcasing a healthy lifestyle and simultaneously spotlighting the need for CKD education and testing.”
