Maximus' Bruce Caswell on March 16 Kidney Ball

Thanks so much, Rachel. It's good to be here.

Well, this is the first time I've done this, but I am told that I'm preceded by a number of great industry leaders. I know that our board Vice Chair Ann Alman had been involved for many years, and of course my very good friend Greg Baron was last year's chair. I think we all have been very supportive of our good friend and colleague Manish Agarwal over the years, who himself had received a kidney transplant in 2013 and really has done a great deal in the community to bring everyone's attention to the importance of the National Kidney Foundation and the great work it does. So I'm excited to be leading a group of C-level executives that are engaging with the broader business community here in Washington to raise funds in support of the foundation's programs. The foundation has programs that relate to research, patient, professional and public education, advocacy, organ donation awareness, and so forth. So it's very important, and a better way to do this than through the gala. It's a gala that's been around for a number of years. People love it. At the gala, guests will enjoy a reception and silent auction, a great dinner, a fantastic venue again this year at the Anthem, an inspiring mission moment, and live entertainment. So it's really just a great opportunity, and I'm really honored to have the opportunity to support it this year.

You know, kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the country. Actually, more people die from kidney disease than from prostate cancer or breast cancer. A full 15% of Americans have kidney disease, which is astounding. And yet, of those Americans, only 10% ever really get a diagnosis. So raising awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and treatment is just so critical with this community. And I'll say, in the National Capital Area, it's even more important because the National Capital Area has one of the highest rates of kidney disease in the United States. So right in our own backyard, we've got more than 700,000 people with kidney disease. There are 14,000 on dialysis. There are 2,000 waiting for a life-saving transplant. So this continues to be an urgent national issue, but one that's particularly important here in the National Capital Area.

Well, we're going to be honoring some amazing people at the Kidney Ball this year. I'll give you some examples. Dave Sulzer of Waldorf, Maryland will be there. He has been engaged for many years in early detection screenings and patient advocacy. Both of Dave's parents had kidney failure and were on dialysis, and Dave himself donated a kidney to his mother, which extended her life by 10 years, which is amazing. It really helped her get back as a caregiver, enabled her to be a caregiver to his father. So it's exciting. At events like this, it's always so important to be connected to the personal stories. I'm also really excited about the silent auction because the National Kidney Foundation and the gala committee always do a really outstanding job of securing very unique and exciting auction items. So I want to make a pitch for a few of those right now. One is that you'll have an opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Nationals game, which is amazing. Another is to ride the Zamboni at a Capitals game, which is great. There are some fantastic getaways as well to places like San Diego, California, and Vail, Colorado. So it really promises to be an exciting piece of the event. Another interesting and exciting feature is that luxury jewelry designer Mindy Lamb, who is herself a transplant recipient, is going to host a trunk show at the Kidney Ball. So you'll be able to purchase some of the beautiful pieces for men and women, with 20% of the proceeds from that going to the National Kidney Foundation. So all in all, it's going to be a wonderful event.

Well, I'll say that what's new and different this year is that there's a unique feature that's geared toward pediatric dialysis patients. So we're going to be partnering with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. During the mission moment, the Kidney Ball guests are going to have an opportunity to purchase a teddy bear for a young patient, and all of those teddy bears are going to be delivered to Children's National Medical Center here in DC. That'll bring comfort to those brave children who are spending hours a week in the dialysis clinic. People don't typically think of children when they think about kidney disease, so it's important that we shine the light on that. In fact, children are very much affected. Some of the causes, like birth defects, hereditary diseases, infection, and so forth, are all related to this, and as they progress, it can lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to live. So it's heartbreaking to think of a child on dialysis. We want to do what we can to comfort them as part of their journey. I would also just say that I think a lot of organizations—I know people are getting kind of tired of hearing 'post-pandemic, post-pandemic, can we move on?'—but many nonprofit organizations especially have struggled to return to the same levels of philanthropic giving that they experienced prior to the pandemic. It could be a number of things, from individuals just not feeling that they want to be out and engaged in the community as much as they might have been historically, but also there are a lot of competing demands. Organizations that maybe fell behind in fundraising during that period have been racing to catch up, and that puts a lot of requests out there in front of people, and you have to make some choices. But I'll say that the Kidney Ball has always been such an important fundraiser for this organization. I guess I'm taking on as a challenge the mission to try to help us return to the levels of total giving that the organization experienced prior to the pandemic. So just again, increased awareness and helping people understand that their contributions and their engagement—whether it's through these contributions or ultimately perhaps considering donating a kidney, or in some ways supporting early screening and diagnosis efforts—can make a difference in the lives of so many wonderful people.

Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity.

You too.