Dr Casaretto completes the fourth annual Tour DaVita in Tacoma Washington - a three-day, 240-mile bike ride to raise awareness and funds for the fight against kidney disease which took place from September 19-21 in Washington State. This bike ride through him through rural parts of Washington State with two days of almost constant rain.
Dr Casaretto attributes his successful completion of this grueling event to the support and encouragement of his family and Davita Team mates.
Donations
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 teammates, 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.
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."