DENVER, July 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DaVita Inc. , a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), recently donated more than 250 pounds of goods to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for distribution to the citizens of Asaf, Iraq.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090725/SF51867) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020729/DAVITALOGO)
First Lieutenant David Gustafson and his wife - Christine Gustafson, a DaVita patient account representative in Berwyn, PA - coordinated the donations with DaVita as part of a larger effort to assist the Asaf community. The Gustafsons worked together to collect donations from family, friends and DaVita teammates (employees) in the Berwyn business office (known as Team Liberty) which were distributed by Alpha Company to the children and families in Asaf. Donations included approximately 30 soccer balls, 100 pairs of shoes, 125 tooth brushes and toothpaste, and six large boxes of toys and school supplies.
"I was extremely proud of the reaction to this drive," said Christine Gustafson. "We certainly didn't expect such a high volume of donations in such a short amount of time. We needed to get things over there quickly, and we did."
Since January 2009, Alpha Company (1st Battalion 112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade) has overseen numerous projects to support the Iraqi people, including the building of wells for drinking water and irrigation as well as repairing and constructing schools, local soccer fields, small businesses and a medical clinic.
"I would like to say thank you to all of the Team Liberty folks at DaVita who donated items for the children in our little corner of Iraq," said David Gustafson. "These gifts went a long way to improve our cooperative relationship with the local leaders."
Through DaVita's Startrooper program, soldiers overseas have received approximately 944 pieces of mail from loved ones in the states since June 2007.
DaVita is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About DaVita Inc.
DaVita Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, providing dialysis services and education for patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. Recognized as the only FORTUNE 500 company on WorldBlu's annual List of Most Democratic Workplaces(TM). As of March 31, 2009, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,475 outpatient dialysis facilities and acute units in approximately 700 hospitals located in 43 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 114,000 patients. As part of DaVita's commitment to building a healthy, caring community, DaVita develops, participates in and donates to numerous programs dedicated to transforming communities and creating positive, sustainable change for children, families and our environment. For more information about DaVita, its kidney education materials and its community programs, please visit http://www.davita.com/.
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DaVita Inc.
CONTACT: Craig Handzlik of DaVita Inc., +1-310-536-2542,
Craig.Handzlik@DaVita.com
Web Site: http://www.davita.com/
