MONTREAL, March 14, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Don Cherry, hockey legend and longtime host of CBC's Coach's Corner, is donating his 1997 Yukon to The Kidney Foundation of Canada's Kidney Car program on World Kidney Day. The program benefits are far reaching - and anyone can take advantage of them.
The Kidney Foundation's Kidney Car program, which tows vehicles for free, provides a tax receipt to the donor and facilitates responsible vehicle recycling, resale or auction, raises nearly $2.5 million annually. The revenue from Kidney Car is invested in activities to help people living with kidney disease, such as peer support, innovative research and raising awareness of the importance of life-saving organ donation as a preferred treatment for kidney failure.
Organ donation is a cause particularly dear to Don Cherry's heart. On World Kidney Day, his message is particularly strong: "Hi Folks, I'll bet you are just like me when I coached the Boston Bruins, what's all this stuff about organ donations, it's nothing to do with me. I felt the same way till it hit home personally with me. My son Tim was healthy as all get out and then his kidneys failed and he immediately had to go on a dialysis machine. I'm like you, I thought what the heck is a dialysis machine. Tim was in dire straits let me tell you till my daughter Cindy came to the rescue and donated one of her kidneys and saved Tim's life and you know there are thousands like Tim waiting for an organ transplant to save their lives and we can help these people in many ways. That's where my Beauty Yukon SUV comes in. It's a lovely Black Cherry inside & out. Leather inside & I love it. I bought it brand new for Cindy, then my son Tim drove it, then I drove it for a while and lastly my grandson Del drove it, but all good things must come to an end. It has 300,000 miles on it and it breaks my heart but it is time to go. I love that Beauty and I got to thinking what better way to go out in style then by helping The Kidney Foundation of Canada's Kidney Car Program. My Beauty agreed with me and like I said it breaks my heart to see him go. I know I've made the right decision so if you love an auto how about pitching in, stepping up to the plate and help the Kidney Foundation in any way you can, by signing a donor card or making a donation, because you never know, God forbidding what happened to my family can happen to yours."
"My Dad is one of those people who falls in love with his vehicles. When it was time to give this one up he could think of no better ending to a vehicle that has served him, his son, daughter and grandson, well. He saw this as a great solution and a win-win situation. The Kidney Car Program is a triple win - hat trick - if you'd like, good for us, good for The Kidney Foundation and the people it helps, and of course, good for the environment," says Cindy Cherry, who donated a kidney to her brother Tim when the dialysis he was having to treat acute kidney injury from a streptococcal infection was no longer enough to keep him alive.
"Dad and I travelled all over Ontario scouting in the Yukon, so there are some great memories in that truck," said Tim Cherry. "It helped us get through some pretty bad snow and ice storms. It's kind of sad to see it go, an era in my life is gone. But the reality for me is that without the grace of God and my sister donating her kidney and The Kidney Foundation, I wouldn't be around to go scouting with my Dad. If donating the Yukon helps raise the awareness of The Kidney Foundation then the Yukon helps us out once again."
March is Kidney Health Month in Canada and The Kidney Foundations' Kidney Car program is an easy and excellent way of supporting the Foundation's work. To take advantage of this service and receive a tax receipt for your donation, visit www.kidneycar.ca. To learn more about becoming an organ donor, visit www.kidney.ca/organ-donor-information. To download broadcast quality B-Roll related to this story please visit http://cnw.pathfireondemand.com/viewpackage.action?packageid=696.
The Kidney Foundation of Canada is the national volunteer organization committed to reducing the burden of kidney disease.
Video with caption: "Video: Don Cherry donates vehicle to support the mission of The Kidney Foundation of Canada ". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20130314_C5098_VIDEO_EN_24570.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20130314_C5098_PHOTO_EN_24570.jpg&clientName=Kidney%20Foundation%20of%20Canada&caption=Video%3A%20Don%20Cherry%20donates%20vehicle%20to%20support%20the%20mission%20of%20The%20Kidney%20Foundation%20of%20Canada%20%20&title=KIDNEY%20FOUNDATION%20OF%20CANADA%20%2D%20Don%20Cherry%20Shows%20Support%20for%20Kidney%20Car%20Program%20on%20World%20Kidney%20Day&headline=Don%20Cherry%20Shows%20Support%20for%20Kidney%20Car%20Program%20on%20World%20Kidney%20Day
Video with caption: "Video: B-Roll: Don Cherry donates vehicle to Kidney Car program to increase support for organ donation". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20130314_C5098_VIDEO_EN_24569.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20130314_C5098_PHOTO_EN_24569.jpg&clientName=Kidney%20Foundation%20of%20Canada&caption=Video%3A%20B%2DRoll%3A%20Don%20Cherry%20donates%20vehicle%20to%20Kidney%20Car%20program%20to%20increase%20support%20for%20organ%20donation&title=KIDNEY%20FOUNDATION%20OF%20CANADA%20%2D%20Don%20Cherry%20Shows%20Support%20for%20Kidney%20Car%20Program%20on%20World%20Kidney%20Day&headline=Don%20Cherry%20Shows%20Support%20for%20Kidney%20Car%20Program%20on%20World%20Kidney%20Day
Image with caption: "Don Cherry donates vehicle to Kidney Foundation, handing keys to volunteer Niloufer Bhesania. (CNW Group/Kidney Foundation of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130314_C5098_PHOTO_EN_24565.jpg
Image with caption: "Don Cherry donates vehicle to Kidney Car program in support of organ donation (CNW Group/Kidney Foundation of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130314_C5098_PHOTO_EN_24563.jpg
SOURCE: Kidney Foundation of Canada
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