CORE Kidney's “Gift of Life: A Tune That Never Fades” Float Wins the Hearts of Rose Parade® Crowd, Recognized With 2024 Isabella Coleman Award

More than 500,000 People Were in Attendance and Millions Watched Across the World as CORE Kidney’s Float Raised Awareness of Living Kidney Donors and People Living with Kidney Disease. This Achievement Was Made Possible Through Sponsorships by Amgen, Baxter International, DaVita and Travere Therapeutics

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CORE Kidney, a patient support and advocacy group that helps kidney disease patients navigate their complex journey, announced today that it received top honors in the 135^th Tournament of Roses Parade^®, winning the 2024 prestigious Isabella Coleman Award for Most Outstanding Presentation of Color and Color Harmony Through Floral Design for its entry “The Gift of Life: A Tune That Never Fades.” The kidney-shaped float was praised for being the most outstanding presentation of color and color harmony through floral design, while spotlighting the heroes and survivors it honored.

“We couldn’t be happier with how our very first participation in the Rose Parade went and the praise we received from attendees and viewers across the world,” said Dr. Richard Zumwalt, PhD Neuropsychologist and CORE Kidney Rose Parade Committee Chairperson. “While it’s an honor to receive recognition for the months of preparation that went into the float, our goal was always to give kidney health the national spotlight it deserves. Rather than leading with fear, we accomplished that goal by leading with gratitude and grace for those donors who took it upon themselves to give one of their kidneys to someone else who needed it to live. We hope our presence struck a chord with the crowd and encourages more people to get their kidneys screened on a regular basis to ensure kidney disease can be caught and managed at its earlier stages.”

CORE Kidney’s float was constructed by Phoenix Decorating Co. and centered around the theme, “The Gift of Life: A Tune That Never Fades.” We are very grateful for the amazing team Chris Lofthouse has built alongside his wife Lyn, Floral Director, and Chuck, Sponsor Relations. A special thanks to Lyn Lofthouse for the floral decorations that won us the Isabella Coleman Award. We are also very grateful to Steve Perry and the Tournament of Roses team for supporting us all along. The float with the kidney-shaped tree sat living kidney donors, kidney health champions, in a beautiful colorful garden as they danced to, “Dancing in the Streets” tune! The floral setting was gorgeously decorated with red and green roses, butterflies to represent transformation and rebirth, a green ribbon as a symbol for kidney health, and a hummingbird at the top of the float to symbolize healing for those in suffering.

CORE Kidney’s Rose Parade float was sponsored by Amgen, Baxter International, DaVita and Travere Therapeutics, who made it possible to feature living kidney donors on the float. Float riders and float walkers included here:

Float Riders: William Barry, Mary Beth Barry, Diana Lucia Bedoya, Brian Gilliam, Louie Mejia, James Mooney, Harold Owens, Phillip Palmer, Dr. Anjay Rastogi, Nanette Zumwalt

Float Walkers: Sohum Bhargava, Judy Chiasson, Marc Coronel, Celia Estrada Corral, Elizabeth Espinosa, Colleen Flanary, Andy Greene, Brock Hall, Jose Hernandez, Christina Lopez, Katherine Ioramo, Juliana Zumwalt, Erick Zumwalt, Daisy Caro, Jim Cunningham, Ross Estrada, Robbin Mooney, Gerald Melendez, Raslyn Preston

Founded by Dr. Anjay Rastogi, MD, PhD, Professor and Clinical Chief of Nephrology at UCLA Health, CORE Kidney aims to eradicate kidney disease from humanity while uplifting the lives impacted by kidney disease through patient care, outreach, clinical research, and education. You can learn more about the organization’s mission and upcoming events at www.corekidneyfoundation.org.

About CORE Kidney

CORE Kidney is an unwavering patient support and advocacy group and a lifeline for kidney health awareness. For patients battling kidney disease, from early symptoms to late-stage conditions, CORE Kidney is dedicated to providing guidance to healing with comprehensive, integrated, and person-centered care for those suffering from this deadly disease. On a global scale, the organization aims to open the world’s eyes to the prevalence and gravity of kidney ailments — while bringing recognition to the global community of brave patients facing this battle. Founded by a group of kidney patients, living kidney donors and their caregivers, who are devoted to serving those who walk the same path, CORE Kidney is on a mission to eradicate kidney disease by ensuring all patients get the care they need from the moment they suspect an issue through every step of the journey. CORE stands for the organization’s core principles that serve as the guiding light in its mission: Clinical excellence, Outreach, Research, and Education. Through the organization’s continued dedication to these core principles, CORE Kidney is devoted to raising the bar with various events, programs and services that directly benefit patients, living donors, families and treating professionals. CORE Kidney has cultivated a devoted community of passionate voices who empower patients to advocate for their own health and build a future where all those suffering can heal as one. This year’s main event for CORE Kidney is “The Gift of Life” float in the 2024 Rose Parade presented by Honda. In line with CORE Kidney’s philosophy, this float represents the global focus of CORE in honoring living kidney donors and a call to action for kidney health screening. We also announce 2024 as the Kidney Health Awareness Year!!!

To learn more, please visit www.corekidneyfoundation.org and/or follow CORE Kidney Foundation and CORE Kidney on socials: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram