The mission of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan is to prevent and eliminate diseases of the kidney and urinary tract, to enhance the quality of life for people with kidney disease through education, services, advocacy and research, and to increase organ donation.

The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, Inc. is funded by public donations through vehicles such as golf tournaments, charity walks, raffles, and other special events. The Foundation also raises money by soliciting donations of money, cars, or even household contributions and clothing.

Donations of clothing or useable household items are sold to Sunshine Thrift Stores of Michigan, Inc. through a unique arrangement allowing the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan to focus on other fund raising events and programs, and use the proceeds generated from this sale to fund patient services, education, and research. Sunshine Thrift Stores resells the merchandise to the public assuming all costs and risk associated with doing so.

PATIENT SERVICES  

• Kids Camp Our camp programs provide children with kidney and urological diseases an opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities and develop friendships with peers.
• Peer Monitoring Program We train qualified peers with chronic kidney disease to be positive role models with whom other renal consumers can relate to, identify with and learn from
• Medical Emergency Tags We imprint tags to identify dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients in case of emergency.
• Luann Scheppleman-Eib Patient Emergency Fund We offer limited financial assistance to qualified patients with emergency needs.
• Public Policy Program The NKFMI advocates on behalf of people with chronic kidney disease through the legislature, government agencies and health care systems.

EDUCATION

• Healthy Hair starts with a Healthy Body™ NKFMI staff trains African American hair stylists to speak with their clients about chronic kidney disease and its causes. The African American population is at an increased risk for kidney failure due to diabetes and hypertension.
• Professional Education Statewide professional education conferences and workshops are offered for physicians, nurses, dietitians, and social workers who address current treatment advancements. These programs insure the highest quality of care for people with kidney disease.
• Newsletters and Brochures The Kidney Chronicle and the Family Focus provide pertinent information and inspiring personal stories on a local and national level. A variety of medical brochures are also available.
• K.I.C.K. “Kids Interested in the Care of their Kidneys” This high school education program benefits students by promoting awareness of organ donation and chronic kidney disease prevention.
• Kids and Kidneys This elementary school program teaches 5th/6th graders the importance of their kidneys and how best to take care of them.
• R.I.S.E. This four-day workshop focuses on functional and vocational rehabilitation for people with chronic kidney disease. Individuals are educated about health care, optimal treatment, volunteer opportunities, self esteem issues, employment incentives and work skills.
• Public Education The Foundation educates the community about chronic kidney disease and organ donation through various campaign efforts including “March is Kidney Month”, “National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week”, and the “Holiday Resolution Campaign.”

RESEARCH

The National Kidney Foundation and its affiliates work together to invest millions of dollars for chronic kidney disease research. We offer financial support for research projects focusing on the cause, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney and urinary tract diseases. The two distribution mechanisms for funding include:

• Research Fellows The National office and its affiliate’s award funds to support post-doctoral research fellows.
• Young Investigator Grant Program Through this program, we award monetary support to physicians/scientists who have completed their training and are junior faculty members in medical settings.

For more information, please visit www.nkfm.org