Quest Demo - (Page 6) bike repair services to needy children. She also applied for and received a $5,000 KT Community Foundation grant to make sure no kids have to leave empty-handed. Last summer, she and five DaVita teammates, along with their families, demonstrated bike safety, showed kids how to attach locks to bikes, painted faces and decorated bikes with “flair.” Mary Gillis, also an IT Analyst; Stephanie Breneman, a Quality Assurance Manager; Rob Levi, Database Administration Manager; and Mike Perdue and Justin Wingo, both System Administrators, joined Walk at the event. Other teammates at the Lodge pitched in too, donating a handful of bikes and helmets directly. The Community Kids Bike Fair is held every year at a different elementary school in the Denver area. Because of economic constraints, very few children have bicycles or safety gear. DaVita ended up being the primary sponsor of the event last year, which in the past has had to turn away some kids empty-handed. This year, according to Walk, “People stayed until the very end until there were no bikes left and nothing to repair, and they took names of kids who didn’t get bikes so they could contact them later.” The KTC Foundation grant purchased 40 bikes, 200 helmets and 200 locks. “We used a piece of the grant for locks, because they have to lock bikes up in that area, and we decided that was just as important as giving out bikes,” Walk says. The teammates and other volunteers showed kids how to use the locks to keep their new bikes safe. In the repair section of the fair, volunteers fixed bikes for eight hours straight, while other volunteers painted faces and made snow cones. A Denver Nuggets player raffled off bikes and other prizes. Walk wrote in her KTC Foundation grant application, “After this event is completed, children who have very little will be given something small to brighten their day. They will see that there are people out there who really care about them and want to help make their lives a little better. A day of fun and a working bicycle is just one of the small ways we can make a difference.” The KT Community Foundation benefits charitable programs supported by teammates (and their families) who have the heart willing to sow a seed of kindness into their communities. It is funded by Kent Thiry and his wife, Denise O’Leary. The KT Community Foundation donates money to nonprofit organizations to fund community-based projects. However, organizations that are already publicly funded will receive less consideration. Thirty KT Community Foundation grants totaling nearly $85,000 have been given to DaVita teammates since the foundation’s inception in 2006. Any DaVita regular full-time or parttime teammate can apply for a grant. The foundation selection committee, comprised of Trustees who volunteer their time, will review all requests, no matter the scope of the project, large or small. The program is offered all year long. 6
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