VANCOUVER, Wash. (April 24, 2018) – A young kidney patient from Vancouver has a chance to gain national recognition by having his artwork appear on the cover of the 2019 national calendar produced by the American Kidney Fund (AKF)—but he’ll need your help to make that happen.
Isaac Wyckoff, 10, is one of 13 finalists in AKF’s 23rd annual Calendar Kids Art Contest whose art will appear in the 2019 calendar, but the cover art will be selected through online voting on AKF’s website that is going on right now.
Earlier this year, children and teens with kidney disease from across the United States submitted their artwork for this popular annual contest. Isaac’s artwork, along with 12 others, was selected to appear in the 2019 AKF calendar. Now, it’s up to the general public to decide which artwork will appear on the calendar’s cover. If Isaac gets the most votes, he will also receive a free trip to Washington, D.C., to be recognized during the American Kidney Fund’s annual gala, The Hope Affair, on October 3.
Isaac’s drawing, titled “In Good Hands,” represents a kidney disease patient who is in the good care of his doctor. Isaac loves to draw and was encouraged to enter the contest by his doctor. Eager to participate, Isaac had his mom overnight his art to meet the contest deadline.
“Each year we are inspired by the entries we receive in our Calendar Kids Art Contest and each child’s story,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund. “Through their art, Isaac and his fellow artists can teach us all something about keeping a positive outlook, even in the face of living with kidney disease.”
Since 1995, the AKF Calendar Kids Art Contest has provided an opportunity for pediatric kidney patients to express themselves through artwork and to receive national recognition. Distributed nationwide, AKF’s calendar helps raise awareness of kidney disease and the importance of prevention and early detection It is estimated that each year, 1 in 65,000 children in the United States have kidney failure, which can only be treated by dialysis or transplantation.
The 2019 calendars will be available for purchase through AKF’s website beginning in October. For more information about the Calendar Kids Art Contest and other AKF programs for children, visit KidneyFund.org.
About the American Kidney Fund
As the nation’s leading nonprofit working on behalf of the 30 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling 1 in 5 U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation. AKF holds the highest ratings from the nation’s charity watchdog groups, including Charity Navigator, which includes AKF on its “top 10” list of nonprofits with the longest track records of outstanding stewardship of the donated dollar, and GuideStar, which has awarded AKF its Platinum Seal of Transparency.
For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
