Hello and welcome to the National Kidney Foundation’s Open House Lecture Series. This building you are sitting in is here as a result of people like you who care about the suffering of others, and have decided to make a stand and do something about it.

You see, at the NKF, people are seen and treated as our most valuable assets, because we realize the importance of you, our partners, in meeting the mission of this agency and look forward to working with you this year.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “We cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are. We must become the change we want to see.”

And above all, as we grow and change, one thing remains the same: the importance of you, our members and supporters, in helping us improve the quality of the services provided by the NKF. As our partners, we remain committed to giving you the tools, information, and support you need to practice and communicate healthy living and a quality life.

Our mission is to save as many lives and prevent as much needless suffering as possible. As we enter our 35th year, this challenge is certainly not over - in many ways, we’ve just begun.

These are interesting times, as increased access to information and medical technology has given citizens greater control over their lives. Our responsibilities to the community are greater too, as well as our awareness of the importance of you in our industry - we can't do it with out you. People are the foundation to the new future and renewal comes from the leadership of every one of us. In that way, we all have something in common. With the power and energy of the whole public service, we can accomplish anything.

SUPER: “No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. - Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), science fiction writer and scientist.