DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates provide new shoes to children

Dec 23 2014

DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care and health care services, today announced that its teammates once again partnered with U.S. charity Shoes That Fit to provide nearly 11,500 pairs of new shoes to children in need through a company-wide initiative called "Shoes-a-palooza."

During the 2^nd annual Shoes-a-palooza, DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates worked with Shoes That Fit, a Claremont, California-based charity, to provide new shoes to children in need in order to help enhance self-confidence and boost development and growth. Shoes That Fit helped identify children and shoe sizes. DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates then collected and delivered shoes to more than 100 schools.

"Shoes That Fit offers an outstanding service to those who need our help most – our children," said Rich Seebold, division vice president for DaVita Kidney Care and Shoes-a-palooza pioneer. "After such a successful campaign last year, our teammates couldn't wait to participate again in Shoes-a-palooza. We are investing in the livelihood of our communities – helping to provide a sense of dignity and comfort so these children can learn better, play better and just be kids."

Students and their guardians and teachers were extremely grateful for the generosity of DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates. Many of them shared gratitude in a variety of ways, including writing thank you notes and making signs.

"I wanted to share a story about one of my many wonderful students," wrote one teacher. "He misses a lot of school and is often late. He has a hard time concentrating at school due to the distractions he is concerned with at home. When he opened his new shoes, he whispered in my ear, 'This is the first brand new shoes I have ever got.' His smile beamed the entire day… You made him feel very important and he will always remember that! All because of a new pair of shoes. Thank you!"

Many teammates went above and beyond to support schools in their communities. In Wisconsin, DaVita Badgerland Dialysis delivered shoes to a local school and noticed that many of the students did not have socks. They spent two days collecting new socks and went back to the school to distribute them to the students in need.

Since 2013, DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates have collected and delivered more than 24,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need through Shoes-a-palooza. Before then, DaVita HealthCare Partners teammates in California, under the direction of Seebold, partnered with Shoes That Fit on a regional level to provide thousands of new shoes to children between 2008 and 2012.

​SOURCE DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.