MCKF – Kicking Kidney Disease

Mission

The Marion County Kidney Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals affected by kidney disease in Marion County Florida. This is accomplished through financial support as well as education for patients, their families and the community. Through empowerment and innovation, we are committed to improving the well-being of persons with chronic kidney disease and our community. while being responsible stewards of our resources.

Email:
mckfhumanity@gmail.com

Donate via Mail:
2980 SE 3rd Court
Ocala, FL 34471

Donate Via PayPal

Designated by the IRS as a Public Charity under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Employer ID Number: 26-3333665

MARION COUNTY KIDNEY FOUNDATION

Let Us Help

The Foundation provides grants to assist local kidney patients experiencing financial hardship. Grants are available for prescription assistance, food, transportation, utilities, dietary supplements, and rent/mortgage among other things. Over the years, the Marion County Kidney Foundation has provided hundreds of these grants to kidney patients in Marion County Florida. We are incredibly proud that as a 100% volunteer run organization, over 98% of our donations go directly to the patients in need.

The Bridge to Transplant Grant

The MCKF Kidney Transplant Grant was developed with the intention of assisting residents of Marion County Florida, with advanced kidney disease, to qualify for a kidney transplant.

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Micro-Grants

The Foundation provides micro-grants to assist local kidney patients experiencing financial hardship. Grants are available for prescription assistance, food, transportation, utilities, dietary supplements, and other essential items needed to ensure proper patients are able to continue proper care and treatment.

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Kidney Education

In Marion County, there are more than 500 patients receiving life-saving kidney dialysis and about 10,000 more who are dealing with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

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Who We Are

MISSION

Through empowerment and innovation, we are committed to improving the well-being of persons with chronic kidney disease and our community. while being responsible stewards of our resources.

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EDUCATION

The Foundation is committed to improving the well-being of persons with chronic kidney disease and our community. One of the ways in which this is accomplished is via materials and resources designed to educate patients, their families and the community.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE

BRIDGE TO TRANSPLANT GRANT

The foundation also offers the “Bridge to Transplant Grant” for Marion County kidney patients who are eligible to receive a kidney transplant, and meet all the criteria for listing for transplantation but have exhausted all other options for meeting the financial eligibility criteria for kidney transplantation.

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DONATIONS

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Marion County Kidney Foundation has provided hundreds of micro-grants to kidney patients in Marion County Florida. Within recent years, the foundation has also created the Bridge-To-Transplant Grant program to provide the means for eligible Marion County kidney patients to meet the financial eligibility criteria for kidney transplantation. We are incredibly proud that as a 100% volunteer run organization, currently over 98% of our donations go directly to patients in need.

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VOLUNTEERS

We are incredibly proud that we are a 100% volunteer run organization.

Izu Nwakoby, MD, FASN

Board Chair

Dr. Nwakoby has been an active member of the MCKF board for several years. He specializes in caring for adult patients with kidney disease and has been in private practice in Marion County Florida, with the Ocala Kidney Group, since 2002. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with the University of Central Florida, College of Medicine. He regularly provides training on the diagnosis and management of kidney diseases to Internal Medicine Residents at the Ocala Regional Medical Center. In his spare time, he enjoys running, biking and traveling.

Janine Manning

Board Vice Chair

Janene brings a varied background to the Marion County Kidney Foundation. She is a retired banker with over 35 years’ experience. A kidney transplant patient herself, having received her transplant in September 1992 after losing her kidney’s because of Lupus. She is an active horsewoman, four-wheeler, air boater and hunter. It Janene’s hope to bring her banking experience and contacts together with her personal hobbies to provide vital financial and supportive information to the many kidney patients in Marion county.

Donna Cohn

Board Secretary

Donna has contributed to the MCKF Board since 2016 and has been the Board Secretary since 2017. Donna is currently the Marketing Coordinator for Winco Mfg., LLC, an Ocala, FL based medical furnishings manufacturer whose products are designed to enhance the patient and caregiver experience and serves on Winco’s employee-run MCKF Fundraising committee. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Marketing from SUNY Oswego and has over 20 years of experience in Marketing Communications.

Marilyn Vazquez

Board Treasurer

Florence Charbonneau

Grant Reviewer

Florence has been volunteering with the MCKF since 2005 when she moved to Ocala from New Hampshire. She truly enjoys working with Kidney patients and hopes she can help make their lives easier by assisting them.

Joanne Brayton, RN

Volunteer

Joanne Brayton is a Registered Nurse in the field of Nephrology. Her mother, several aunts, two of her sisters, and her son are all in the medical field. She works for the Ocala Kidney Group and oversees the clinical aspect of a Nephrologist. She has a lifetime of wholistic approach to healing, and with the encouragement and support of the Nephrologist she works for, she encourages each person to be all they can be.

Drexel Collins

Volunteer

Content coming soon.

Deanna Collins

Volunteer

Content coming soon.

Claudeth Henry, Esq.

Volunteer

Attorney Henry is the Founding Partner of CJ Henry Law Firm, PLLC (founded in 2009).

Bruce Howard

Volunteer

BS Weber State Physical Therapy Degree - University of Texas Medical Branch Private Clinic Practice in Ocala since 1985

Tila Skipper-Resendiz

Volunteer

Veronica Valila

Volunteer

Patient Testimonials

We would love to hear from you! If you have a testimonial to share, please contact us.

“My name is J. C. and I have been on dialysis for ten years. I have been very fortunate to have Marion County Kidney Foundation help with financial issues such as utilities and rent over the years. It is really a blessing to have a Foundation that assists dialysis patients. God bless you and keep up the wonderful work.”

“We are grateful to the Marion County Kidney Foundation for gas and food cards.”

– DC and RT.

Ms. R H was grateful to the Marion County Kidney Foundation for help with Duke Energy bill. Her experience was positive and the time was quick in getting help.

One anonymous patient was thankful to get assistance from Marion County Kidney Foundation for a nutritional supplement, Nepro, to improve her nutritional status and lab values.

Another anonymous patient was appreciative to Marion County Kidney Foundation when her family member died and she had funeral expenses. The patient stated that the Foundation helped by assisting with electricity bill so that by the next month she was caught up and able to manage her expenses.

Corporate Sponsors

Thank you so much to our corporate sponsors that continue to support the Marion County Kidney Foundation!

Contact

Connect with us today and see how you can help support families in Marion County Florida who are affected by kidney disease. Whether you want to volunteer or have a testimonial we want to hear from you.

(352) 622-0531

mckfhumanity@gmail.com

facebook.com/MCKForg