About LAKE
Lake Area Kidney Endowment offers financial help and assistance providing goods and services to those affected by chronic kidney disease who are in need of such service. We achieve this, for example, by providing gas cards to assist patients in attending medical appointments and dialysis treatments, assistance with medication and insurance copayments to prevent interruption of medical treatments, gift cards for purchasing food necessary for kidney friendly diets, and we also provide other assistance for medical related costs for people facing financial hardship. We also provide mentoring services, patient advocacy assistance, and help in establishing social networking services. The LAKE organization is open to any donation request, as we appreciate it is impossible to predict every hardship scenario.
Events
LAKE is involved in many fundraising events including our Fall Festivus which is held in October. In 2016 we teamed up with KXLG Radio and were the recipients of their annual Pink Ribbon Classic golf tournament.
Our Board
Front row left to right, Christine Ronke (Co-founder and Vice-Chair), Andrea Vosberg (Program Development Officer), and Tina Melanson (Co-Founder and Board Chair). Back row left to right, Darcy Woertink, Kim Crandall (Secretary), Heidi Wirtjes, Jan Larsen, Maxine Moyer, Kari Fleming (Foundation/Patient Liaison). Not pictured Missy Flegel, Brenda Hoium, and Angela Arends (Treasurer).
Success Stories
Thus far LAKE has distributed several hundred dollars in gas cards for patients in need of assistance to attend medical appointments and dialysis treatments. In one case, a patient was making daily trips to Sioux Falls to see an eye specialist who was trying to save her failing vision. The family car was in desperate need of repairs to keep it road worthy and safe. In addition to $100 in gas, LAKE worked with Watertown Ford to put four new tires on the vehicle and fix a serious oil leak that kept the car in working condition. LAKE has also provided several hundred dollars worth of groceries for patients who were struggling to make ends meet and keep healthy food on the table. In another case, a dialysis patient who was discharged from the hospital after being treated for pneumonia was unable to afford the necessary breathing treatments and antibiotics to keep her on the path of recovery. LAKE covered the remaining copay for the critical therapies. LAKE has also covered the cost of medical equipment necessary to manage complications of chronic kidney disease. For example, we have provided several patients with support stockings to help control swelling, and we have distributed home blood pressure monitoring systems to several patients in need of critical monitoring to help delay progression of their chronic kidney disease. This is just to name a few!