DENVER, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), and a leading provider in kidney care services, established the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for most bicycles donated to charity in one hour by building and gifting 979 bikes to Denver-area children.
"Anyone who knows us, knows we're a community first and a company second," said Kent Thiry, chairman and CEO of DaVita. "Our teammates seek opportunities to make a difference in someone's life – whether that is a dialysis patient or a child in need. These bikes will not only benefit these children but will impact the health of our Denver community."
More than 3,500 DaVita teammates (employees) attended Villagewide in Denver this week, a best-in-class training and development program for its comprehensive focus on culture, clinical quality and teammate togetherness, to celebrate achievements in patient care and teammate fulfillment. With thousands of visiting teammates in town for the event, organizers harnessed the collective goodwill of attendees to make a difference Wednesday evening.
DaVita teammates participated in a bike building lesson and then hand-built and donated 979 bikes in partnership with Be Legendary, a Boulder, Colorado based organization that provides community experiences for companies worldwide. The bicycles were then donated to children from Denver-area schools who were bussed into downtown for the event and presented with their new bicycles.
"I can't even begin to describe how it made me feel to see the kids come in to get their new bikes," said Cece Keller, a teammate at DaVita Tallahassee Dialysis. "I love it when we do stuff like this. I love that we care for each other and the community."
DaVita teammates and their families and friends have volunteered nearly 140,000 hours through 3,600 community service projects – known as Village Service Days – since 2006. These service days take place throughout the country and the year. This Village Service Day constitutes DaVita's largest-ever Village Service project to date and closely aligns with DaVita's commitment to educating children about health, wellness and the benefits of being active.
To find more information on DaVita's Village Service projects, check out the 2016 Community Care Report.
About DaVita Kidney Care
DaVita Kidney Care is a division of DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading provider of dialysis services in the United States, DaVita Kidney Care treats patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita Kidney Care strives to improve patients' quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of December 31, 2016, DaVita Kidney Care operated or provided administrative services at 2,350 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 188,000 patients. The company also operated 154 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States. DaVita Kidney Care supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company's leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit DaVita.com.
DaVita and DaVita Kidney Care are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita Inc.
Contact Information
Media:
Lindsey Robinson
Lindsey.Robinson@DaVita.com
(720) 925-3079
SOURCE DaVita Kidney Care