Nearly 11,500 Children Receive New Shoes from DaVita HealthCare Partners Teammates

DENVER, Dec. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. 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.

For more information about DaVita's community engagement, please visit DaVita.com/CSR.

For more information about Shoes That Fit, please visit ShoesThatFit.org.

About DaVita HealthCare Partners
DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is the parent company of DaVita Kidney Care and HealthCare Partners. DaVita Kidney Care is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. As of Sept. 30, 2014, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,152 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 170,000 patients. The company also operated 87 outpatient dialysis centers located in 10 countries outside the United States. HealthCare Partners manages and operates medical groups and affiliated physician networks in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Florida in its pursuit to deliver excellent-quality health care in a dignified and compassionate manner. As of Sept. 30, 2014, HealthCare Partners provided integrated care management for approximately 836,000 patients. For more information, please visit DaVitaHealthCarePartners.com.

DaVita and DaVita HealthCare Partners are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contact Information
Media:
David Gilles
Phone: (303) 876-7497
Cell: (432) 266-1289
David.Gilles@DaVita.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140318/DC85712LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nearly-11500-children-receive-new-shoes-from-davita-healthcare-partners-teammates-300013471.html

SOURCE DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc.