Giving Back in 2010

The National Kidney Foundation relies on people like you, volunteering their time, talents or expertise to accomplish our mission to improve health and support patients and families throughout Wisconsin.

Here are some of the people who have helped us since our last issue of Connections.

We are grateful to:

• Pat Chowaniec, South Milwaukee, for donating and installing shelving units in the copy/mailing room at the NKFW office.
• Dennis Flannery, DMF Consulting, Waukesha, for lending us his IT and project management expertise as we replace our 1999 vintage computers with new hardware and software.
• Liz Krier and Michael Tucker (UWM) and Kelly Horn (UW) for volunteering at the NKFW office each week. Liz brings her communications and marketing skills to several of our special fundraising events. Michael, a PA student is helping organize KEEP screenings. Kelly, a future transplant nurse, provides support for Team Wisconsin.
• Joseph J. Weirich who secured a donation of a used Xerox printer from his employer, RBC for the NKFW office.
• Lisa Pipia and Brad Schultz at Creatonomy (Milwaukee) and Stefani Collins of avicom marketing communications (Waukesha) for their assistance in developing promotional items to sell on behalf of Team Wisconsin.
• Ehab Saad MD, FACP, FASN, MA Medical College of Wisconsin for making a special presentation on chronic kidney disease on March 10 at a continuing education conference for nurses offered by Waukesha County Technical College.
• A.J. Capelli, MD, SM, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Aurora Healthcare for his community presentation on DIABETES AND YOU on February 24 in Kenosha.
• William J. Kraklow, MD, Nephrologist Midwest Nephrology Associates for helping the NKFW offer a free program, BLOOD PRESSURE AND YOU at St. Mary’s Lutheran Church in Kenosha on February 25.
• Ron and Lin DeGolier, Kenosha, for helping to organize a community presentation on living kidney donation.
• Barbara Bresnahan, MD, Christopher P. Johnson, MD, Ginny Korkko, MSSW, Sundaram Hariharan, MD, and Elise Wawrzyn, RN, all from the Froedtert Hospital/ Medical College of Wisconsin Transplant Program for volunteering to give presentations at the LIVING KIDNEY DONATION programs in Waukesha, Kaukauna and Kenosha on March 16-18.
• Dr. Elise Sampson, Marquette Dental School; Tracy Simon, MSSW, Froedtert Hospital; Mary Baliker, UW Carbone Cancer Center for their recent presentations to patients and family members at the monthly Thursday evening LIVING WELL WITH YOUR TRANSPLANT programs. (Visit www.kidneywi.org for spring program topics.)
• Lori Bassindale, RN, for helping the NKFW organize the monthly program topics and providing assistance with all of the logistics for each Thursday evening LIVING WELL programs.
• Lynn Baudo and the staff of Blood Center of Wisconsin/Wisconsin Donor Network (Milwaukee); Joan Heimler, RN, and Aurora BayCare Sports Medicine Center (Green Bay); Peter and Linda, managers of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio (Madison); Leah Breu, RN (Marshfield) for each hosting the January and February Informational Meetings for donor family members, transplant recipients and living donors interested in attending the 2010 NKF U.S. Transplant Games®
• Rebecca S. J. Hilson, BloodCenter of Wisconsin/Wisconsin Tissue Bank, for her presentation on January 28 on the new Wisconsin Donor Registry that was launched in Wisconsin on March 29. (Visit www.YesIWillWisconsin.com)
• Liz Allen, Chaplin, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics for offering a special workshop on February 13 in Madison on The Receiving and Giving of the Gift of Life.
• Christine Monahan, Donor Family Coordinator at the UW-OPO for her assistance in organizing the donor family programs on February 13 that were part of the Team Wisconsin/ NKF U.S. Transplant Games informational meetings.
• Sue Schaus, RN, and Sue Quever, RN, of the Aurora Parish Nurse program for organizing the KEEP screening on March 6 at St. Mary’s Lutheran Church in Kenosha.
• Joan Heimler, RN, Aurora Healthcare and Kathy Vilski (Menomonee Falls) for their inspiring presentations at the Wisconsin Council of Social Workers (CNSW) quarterly meeting on March 5.
• ALL who contacted the NKFW office offering to make ‘renal sleeves’ for dialysis patients. Find the directions for renal sleeves on the NKFW Website at www.kidneywi.org (Click on Patients, then Dialysis Patients).