EVENT BASICS AND GENERAL INFORMATION
1. What is the DaVita KAT Walks Across America™?
The KAT Walks are a series of Fundraising Walks which take place in 20 cities across America starting June 29 and ending December 7. Our goal is to build awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) among the 26 million Americans who have it. Awareness will enable these people to take action to delay or prevent the progression of the disease to kidney failure.
2. The schedule of Walks is this:
June 29-Virginia Beach, VA
July 13-Baltimore, MD
July 20-Philadelphia, PA
July 27-Boston, MA>
Aug 3-Pittsburgh, PA
Aug 9-Cincinnati, OH
Aug 17-Detroit MI
Aug 24-Crown Point, IN
Sept 7-Centennial, CO>
Sept 14-Minneapolis, MN
Sept 21-Tacoma, WA
Sept 28- San Leandro, CA
Oct 5-Visalia, CA
Oct 12-Los Angeles, CA
Oct 19-El Paso, TX
Oct 26-Okalahoma City, OK
Nov 2-Dallas, TX
Nov 8-Brentwood, TN
Nov 15-Atlanta, GA
Dec 7-Orlando, FL
3. How are the dates scheduled for the DaVita KAT Walks?
Event dates are chosen based on a number of factors, including weather, site availability, holidays and major events.
4. How are the cities chosen for the DaVita Kat Walks?
We make some tough choices in determining where to hold the KAT Walks. The schedule of cities is aimed at producing enjoyable, safe and successful events within our resources in areas that can support an event of this magnitude, while giving as many people living with a CKD and their families and friends a chance to participate.
5. Can I start a KAT Walk in my city?
Unfortunately, we cannot support start-up events in additional cities. Each Walk requires extensive logistical planning and supplies are trucked to each event on a planned schedule. Our central planning and logistics enables us to ensure the safety and quality of each event, while carefully managing costs. Because of our trademark, no event can be named or called a “DaVita KAT Walk Across America" nor can any other event use "DaVita KAT Walk" in its name in any way, unless it is part of the official DaVita KAT Walks Across America event. Fundraising activities promoted by DaVita may be designated as "in support of the DaVita KAT Walks Across America" or something similar.
6. Are the KAT Walks CKD patient-only events?
Absolutely not! While many CKD health care workers and patients and their families and friends attend, everyone is encouraged to participate. 90% of the 26 million Americans with CKD don’t even know they have it. The more people who attend the KAT Walks, the greater the chance that more people will be educated. Also, free screening for CKD is offered at our walks in those cities where the law permits.
7. Is everyone required to register to participate in the walks?
Only those over the age of 12 are required to register. However, children 12 and under may still walk with you, and we encourage them to do so!
8. Is there a registration fee?
Yes, each person who registers will need to pay $15, except for CKD patients, for whom there is no charge. You can register online and pay by credit card. Or, if you register by mail or at the walk itself, you may pay by credit card, check or cash.
9. Are we required to raise a minimum amount to participate?
No. But even though there’s no minimum fundraising requirement, we do encourage you to create your own fundraising plan. The KAT Walks are designed to accomplish two important goals: 1) To educate as many people as possible about this disease; and 2) to raise funds to help generate awareness far beyond the KAT Walks themselves. The more money we raise the more we can accomplish these important goals.
10. Can I form a team for the Walk?
Yes you can and we hope you will! Forming a team is a great way to participate and fundraise. Teams often compete to see who can get the most supporters, and of course that extra fundraising helps in the fight against kidney disease. People who form teams can get quite creative in choosing their team “uniform” – such as matching KAT ears, KAT tails, socks, and KAT glasses. The more the merrier!
11. Is there a minimum age requirement for doing the KAT Walk? Can my kids walk with me?
Anyone of any age can participate in the KAT Walk. We encourage you to bring your children and have them walk with you. Our insurance requires that anyone under the age of 18 or over the age of 12 have their registration and waiver signed by their legal guardian. Proof of age is required at the check-in of each walk. Children 12 and under do not need to register, but must be accompanied and supervised by their legal guardian(s).
12. Am I required to have health insurance?
We strongly recommend personal health insurance for each participant. In the event that you become ill or are injured during the Walk and have to be transported to a hospital, you will be responsible for 100% of transportation and service costs. Our medical team can only provide basic first aid services.
13. Can you help me with fundraising?
Yes, we can! While there is no minimum fundraising requirement we encourage you to raise as much as possible. Please feel free to contact us at 1-866-342-1603 with any questions you might have about fundraising. Additionally please refer to the Fundraising section of www.davitakatwalks.com, which has several tips and great ideas of how you can create your own personalized fundraising plan. We also have two incentives that you might want to achieve in terms of fundraising. These incentives are also viewable in our Fundraising section of the website. Enlisting your friends and family to assist you with fundraising will make your efforts easier and more productive.
Note: We encourage participants to be creative with their fundraising, but some states have restrictions regarding certain fundraising efforts. Please check with your local authorities to ensure you are in compliance with the regulations in your area. For example, participants cannot fundraise in Massachusetts by holding raffles and poker tournaments.
14. What does the money we raise benefit?
All the money raised through our walks benefits The Kidney TRUST, a 501c(3) non-profit agency which provides free rapid screening and education around CKD and a financial aid program. We encourage you to learn more about The TRUST by visiting www.kidneytrust.org.
15. Am I assigned a Walker ID number?
If you register online prior to your walk you will be assigned a walker number. This number is used in conjunction with the Personal Fundraising Page that is automatically created for you on our website when you register online. Your Fundraising Page lets you seek donations from friends and family, and keep them updated on your efforts. Your Walker ID number enables you to track the donations that have been made in your name.
Many of our walkers choose to arrive at the Walk and register in the morning. For those who choose this method of registering you will not be assigned a walker number. To help move you through the Check-In lines we encourage you to go to our website and print our registration form, complete it and bring it with you. Additionally you can collect donations manually before the walk, by printing the donation form from the website. Attach a copy of the form to each donation you receive. By having all your forms completed and payment attached to each your time spent in the check-in line will be minimal.
16. I am a local business and would like to help the KAT Walks be successful. Do you have sponsorship opportunities? Absolutely, we highly encourage local businesses to become involved. Please call us at 1-866-342-1603 or email us at walkinfo@davita.com. We will be happy to send you our sponsorship opportunities packet and answer any questions you may have.
17. Who can I contact to answer questions?
Contact information for our walks is posted on all our web pages under “Contact Us”. While our site guides you to our national office toll free number, our team can answer any question you might have and/or direct you to a local staff contact in your walk city if need be.
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ON THE EVENT
18. When is the best time to arrive?
We open up check-in/registration at 8:30 AM. We will begin our Opening Ceremonies at 10 AM and the walk will begin at 10: 15 AM. If you need to register and or drop off donations we suggest arriving early since everyone must go through these lines. For those who have pre-registered and would like to drop off extra donations we will have an express donation drop area. Please note that you will need to have a completed donation form attached to every individual donation. You can download and print donation forms from the website.
19. Will there be parking available?
We do secure our sites keeping in mind the need for parking. We will have signage posted guiding you to parking as well as the check-in area. We suggest carpooling or using mass transit where available.
20. What should I wear?
Our walks will go on rain or shine. Please check your local weather to determine what you should wear. Dressing in layers is always wise if you live in areas that are known to be cool in the morning even if the afternoons are scheduled to be warm.
21. Do we need to sign anything when we arrive?
Yes, every walker will be required to sign a liability waiver upon checking in. (Please bring legal identification with you. We are required to check ID upon signing of our waivers.)If you are age 13 and younger than 18 you will need a guardian or parent signature on your waiver which will allow to walk without an official ID.
You will receive a wristband which will allow you to pick up your official Walker T-shirt and which will also allow you to receive free refreshments. For those of you have achieved one or both of our fundraising incentives you will also be provided a wristband which then is redeemable at our t-shirt tent prior to or after the walk had ended. NO incentives will be awarded by mail. Please remember to pick up your incentive during this time.
NOTE on INCENTIVES: Due to logistics needs we can only guarantee that we will have your ONLINE fundraising totals as of 3 days prior to the Walk. If you have not reached an incentive goal at that point we suggest you bring in more donations or make a self donation if you want to receive one of the incentive prizes. INCENTIVE PRIZES will only be awarded the day of the walk and donations received after the walk is over will not be accounted for incentive winnings. There will be no post event incentives awarded.
22. How far will I have to walk?
The KAT Walks are 5 K in length, but you can walk less or more if you desire. It’s your choice and you can make up your mind (and change it) right on the spot. In the event that you need a little help, the route will be marked with turn-around options and always be patrolled by volunteers to provide assistance when needed.
23. How is the route laid out?
Each event starts and ends in the same place. Our logistical team carefully plans the route and ensures that all our participants can complete the walk regardless if they need to use walk assistance such as walkers or wheel chairs. Participants leave the starting point after the Opening Ceremony and walk a carefully marked route which will return them to Start/Finish point.
24. When will we know what the route is?
Though you won't get specific route details prior to the event, you will know the walk location, which is where the walk will start and finish. Sometimes the walk route has to be changed at the last minute for a variety of reasons. We appreciate your understanding of the need to retain this flexibility.
25. Will there be closing ceremonies?
We will have short opening and closing ceremonies. The opening ceremonies allow dignitaries to address the audience and often include CKD patient spokespeople. Closing Ceremonies are short. While the closing ceremonies vary on exact time, to ensure every walker has the opportunity to finish the route, they usually occur close to 1 pm.
26. Will there be food and beverages provided?
We will provide healthy snacks and beverages. Many of our walks take place in beautiful park areas and many of our participants like to make a day of it. Feel free to bring a lunch with you and enjoy some relaxing time after the walk with friends and family.
27. What will there be to do at the walk besides walk?
We have a bounce house for the youngsters, a bit of music, some face painting, and other entertainment that varies by walk. The Kidney TRUST will be on hand to provide free screening (in those walk cities where screening is allowed by law) and assessment to those who would like this information. Sponsors of the walk will be on site to provide information on their businesses and in all likelihood hand out giveaways. We will also have Ripples, our KAT Mascot on hand to say hi to everyone and to be on the route walking alongside you. Bring your camera!
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VOLUNTEERS
28. Do you need volunteers?
YES!!! Our volunteers are the backbone to our event. Typically we need over 100 volunteers per walk. Volunteers are essential to making the event run smoothly. Volunteers are not required to pay registration fees or raise funds, but many choose to and prove to be fantastic fundraisers! There’s even a fundraising rewards program for volunteers. Every volunteer receives his/her official volunteer t-shirt upon check in.
29. What do volunteers do?
As the Walk’s support system volunteers perform numerous jobs at the event that are essential to its success. They do everything from logistics (tent/tables/chairs) setup to breakdown, route marking, providing beverage and snacks, picking up trash, checking in walkers, monitoring the bounce house and route, working in our merchandise and t-shirt/incentive tents and everything in between. We even need an energetic volunteer to wear our “Ripples” the KAT Mascot costume. Check the Volunteer section of this website for specifics and to sign up. Online you will be able to sign up your 3 top volunteer choices. Close to the walk date, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you to let you know what position we would like to put you in. We try to accommodate everyone’s requests but we appreciate your flexibility so that we can cover each role needed.
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FUNDRAISING—NOT mandatory, but highly beneficial to the success of our Walks.
Note: We encourage participants to be creative with their fundraising, but some states have restrictions regarding certain fundraising efforts. Please check with your local authorities to ensure you are in compliance with the regulations in your area. For example, participants cannot fundraise in certain states by holding raffles and poker tournaments.
30. As a Walker, how much money do I have to raise in order to participate in the KAT Walk?
There is no minimum fundraising amount required to participate in our walks. We encourage all to fundraise and each walker can set their own personal goal. Please remember that all donations are tax deductible.
31. Is my $15 registration fee considered a donation?
Absolutely and as such it is tax deductible. NOTE: Registration fees and donations are non refundable and non transferable.
32. If I can’t walk, can my donors get their money back?
All donations are non-refundable. The money you’ve raised will go to the continued work of The Kidney TRUST.
33. Can my donors get tax receipts?
Most donors use either their credit card receipts or cancelled checks as donation receipts. Online donors will receive an e-mail confirming their gift and will also be directed to a printable confirmation page when their donation is complete. As required by the IRS, anyone making a single donation of $250 or more will receive a hard-copy receipt directly from The Kidney TRUST. The TRUST has taken this one step further and will send a hard copy receipt for any donation of $100 or more. If your donation falls under this amount and you would like a receipt please contact the TRUST directly at info@kidneytrust.org.
34. Will my donors be contacted by DaVita or The Kidney TRUST or anyone else?
Donor names and contact information will never be sold or shared beyond DaVita KAT Walks or The Kidney TRUST. Donors may occasionally receive information from DaVita KAT Walks and The Kidney TRUST about how their donations are being used to fight chronic kidney disease. Donors will always have the opportunity to “opt out” of any and all communications.
35. Can I collect donations in foreign currency?
Yes. Credit card and check donations received in foreign currency will be converted at the bank rate at the time they are processed. All donation amounts are credited to walker accounts in U.S. dollars.
36. Is a donation form posted on the website?
Yes, we have a downloadable form which includes a mailing address to send donations directly to The Kidney TRUST in lieu of making an online donation. You can make donations by check or credit card if you using this form. Please do not send cash. Please allow three weeks for processing after mailing.
37. Do you accept donations by check?
Yes. Checks should be made payable to "The Kidney TRUST" and should include your participant ID number on the check. You should mail check donations, along with your completed donation coupon, to the address on the Donation form. Please allow three weeks for processing after mailing.
38. Can you accept checks made payable to anything but “The Kidney TRUST”?
If the check is made payable to you or KAT Walks, please endorse the check on the back, along with your signature, with “For deposit only payable to The Kidney TRUST”. If the check is made out to another charity we will not be able to cash the check. Please contact your donor and ask them to write a new check.
39. Can we submit donations in cash?
We prefer not to accept cash donations. Most walkers who receive donations in cash will write a check or purchase a money order to submit the donation, with the name and address of the donor included on the coupon so that they are credited for the donation.
40. Can I overnight my donations to the address on the donation form?
Unfortunately, no. Donations go directly to a bank P.O. Box, which cannot accept Fed Ex, UPS, DHL, USPS or any other overnight delivery service.
41. What if I do not include a donor form with my donation?
It is likely that the donation will not be properly credited to the walker you are supporting or if there is no valid address on the check you will not receive credit for your donation.
42. How long does it take for donations to be posted to a walker’s Personal Fundraising Page?
Credit card donations made via the website are posted within a few hours. Check and credit card donations submitted by mail will be posted within three weeks of their mailing date if donation form instructions are correctly followed. Any missing information or incorrect use of donation forms will delay the process.
43. How will I know when I receive offline donations?
They’ll be posted in the “honor roll” section of your personal webpage, just like online donations. Your Walker Buddy can also give you a current update of your donation account.
44. How do we get credited for matching gifts from our donors’ employers?
Matching gift forms which you need to get from the Company should be completed and sent to:
The Kidney TRUST
1350 Old Bayshore Highway, Suite 777
Burlingame, CA 94010
Attn: Matching Gifts
Matching gift amounts will only be credited to your account once the check has been received from the company. Please include the Walker’s name and Walker ID number on the form.
45. What is the The Kidney TRUST tax ID number?
The Kidney TRUST tax ID number is 20-4941189.
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The Kidney TRUST
46. What is The Kidney TRUST?
The Kidney TRUST aims to benefit the 26 million American adults living with Chronic Kidney Disease (“CKD”), as well as the 340,000 Americans with kidney failure who are on dialysis. The TRUST was formed to increase awareness of kidney disease through public education and testing programs so that progression of CKD to kidney failure can be delayed or prevented. The Kidney TRUST is a 501(c) 3 non-profit charity.
47. What is The Kidney TRUST’s role in the DaVita KAT Walks Across America?
The TRUST is the direct beneficiary of all monies raised by The KAT Walks. The TRUST also provides free assessment and CKD screening in those Walk cities where screening is allowed by law.
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