SALISBURY — The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (NKF-MD) will hold its annual Salisbury Kidney Walk, Sunday, May 7, at Winterplace Park (6737 Blue Ribbon Rd.).

Over 500 people are expected to attend this family-friendly event including kidney patients, friends and family members and others wanting to make an impact on a growing public health problem.

“Kidney disease currently affects 9,300 Marylanders, and with the increase in diabetes and high blood pressure, the numbers continue to climb,” said Returning Event Chair Stephanie Elliott, MS, BSN, CNN (renal services program manager with Peninsula Regional Medical Center).

“This signature event helps the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland build awareness, drive prevention and support treatment of kidney disease – the 9^th leading cause of death in the United States,” Elliott added. “We encourage individuals, families and the medical and corporate communities to join us for an inspiring morning that will make a real difference in the lives of people living with this condition.”

Event check in begins at 9 a.m.  Following warm-up exercises and announcements by WMDT-TV Meteorologist Daniel Johnson, the Walk will kick off at 10 a.m. Participants can choose from a 3-mile route or shorter path for strollers and wheelchairs. Adding to the fun, everyone can enjoy refreshments from Panera Bread, Giant and Starbucks, music by Moonbeam Entertainment and theKidney Kids Corner with face painting and games.

Funds raised through Kidney Walk will directly support NKF-MD’s patient services, education and research efforts. There is no registration fee and participants who raise a minimum of $100 will earn a Kidney Walk T-shirt.

To register or learn about sponsorship or volunteer opportunities, visit www.kidneywalk.org or call 410.726.8732 to speak with Nicole Scharf, NKF-MD’s senior director of field services for the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Southern Delaware.

In addition to the Salisbury event, NKF-MD will hold the Greater Baltimore Kidney Walk, Apr. 30, at UMBC and the Southern Delaware Kidney Walk, Apr. 30, at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. Returning sponsor, Mid-Atlantic Nephrology Associates will distribute caps to kidney patients, transplant donors and recipients at all three walks so they stand out in the crowd.

To date, top local sponsors include Christiana Care Health System, Walgreens, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Peninsula Nephrology Associates and Delmarva Kidney and Hypertension Specialists.

More than 6,000 people participated in the 2016 Maryland and Delaware Kidney Walk events, which raised $364,000. Nationally, nearly 60,000 walkers participate each year to raise over $6 million, with more than 80 cents of every dollar donated directly supporting programs and services.

Serving central and western Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula and portions of Virginia and West Virginia, the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland is the area’s only voluntary health agency dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more information, visit www.kidneymd.org.