There is a free and beautiful spring weekend ahead! The Alabama Kidney Foundation’s annual Huntsville Kidney Walk & Celebration has joined with Cars & Coffee for a Cause at MidCity this Sunday, April 24, from 8-11 a.m. to raise money for local kidney patients.
The event will feature an array of hot rods, food trucks, fun kid activities and vendors. Proceeds from the celebration support kidney patients with daily living expenses as well as transportation to and from dialysis treatments.
Alabama ranks first in the number of dialysis patients per capita in the United States. Currently, Alabama has over 1,000 residents on the transplant waitlist along with 90,000 nationwide.
The National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. Of these, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis.
Doctors at the University of Alabama-Birmingham say COVID-19 has targeted existing vulnerable kidney patients.
“Our annual walks & celebrations are critical in defining what kind of assistance we can provide any given year to frankly – a growing population of people fighting an incredibly draining disease,” said JoHelene Patrick, AKF’s North Alabama regional director. “Events like Cars & Coffee help raise funds but also allow us the opportunity to educate our communities.”
George and Tracy Jones of Century Automotive will be serving as Honorary Walk & Celebration Chair. The Jones family understands how much any form of support means to kidney dialysis patients.
“Everyone enjoys a hobby, like cars or going to car shows. However, it’s important to recognize that something like kidney disease can take someone away from their hobby or other things they enjoy,” said Tracy Jones, president of Century Automotive Group. “Given how prominent the kidney problem is in Alabama, we want to give back while also sharing potentially lifesaving information at our Cars & Coffee event.”
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