CORE Kidney, a patient support and advocacy group that helps kidney disease patients navigate their journey, announced that Amgen signed on as the lead sponsor for CORE Kidney’s specially designed kidney-shape float at the 2024 Rose Parade, which will honor living kidney donors and spread awareness for kidney health screening.

“We are pleased to bring Amgen on board to support the CORE Kidney float,” says Rick Zumwalt, PhD, Neuropsychologist and CORE Rose Parade Committee Chairperson. “As a biotechnology company dedicated to addressing serious illness, Amgen’s sponsorship will help inspire our amazing community of patients and donors we’ve brought together by reminding them that their bravery is being recognized on the highest level. We are grateful to our sponsors whose contributions support our work so we can continue to deliver resources for patients struggling everyday with kidney disease.”

CORE Kidney’s float will reserve seats on the float for its top sponsors. The full list of public sponsors includes:

  • Amgen
  • Baxter International Inc.
  • DaVita Inc.
  • Travere Therapeutics

“Amgen is proud to have this opportunity to help raise awareness of kidney disease, an under-appreciated, silent threat that also can be the result of other, rare conditions like ANCA-associated vasculitis,” says Murdo Gordon, executive vice president, global commercial operations at Amgen. “As someone whose family has been touched by this disease, I am hopeful our support will help raise awareness for and underscore the importance of kidney health and proactive screenings.”

Further reading: New Study Advances Search for Accurate Acute Kidney Injury Blood Markers

Joining the sponsors on the float will also be the living kidney donors who are being honored for their selfless act of gifting a part of themselves to save the life of someone living with kidney disease. The list of living donors who will be participating in the CORE Kidney float include:

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

Float walkers during the parade will include: Sohum Bhargava; Ravi Bhojwani; Judy Chiasson; Marc Coronel; Celia Estrada Corral; Sara Erskine; Elizabeth Espinosa; Colleen Flanary; Brian Gilliam; Andy Green; Brock Hall; Jose Hernandez; Brandy Hughes; Diana Jimenez; Bianca Jimenez; Christina Lopez; Katherine Loramo; April Mow; Mark Santarserio; Juliana Zumwalt.

CORE Kidney’s float, which was constructed by Phoenix Builders, will center around the theme, “The Gift of Life: A Tune That Never Fades.” The kidney-shaped float will seat living donors and kidney health champions in a colorful garden as they swing from the tree of life.

Photo: CORE Kidney’s float