Kidneys for Kids Launches Historic 2026 “Drive to 7000” Campaign to Break U.S. Record for Living Kidney Donations
A National Movement Aims to Find 7,000 Donors, Saving Thousands of Lives and Inspiring a New Era of Organ Donation
BAY CITY, MI – [October 1,2025] – Kidneys for Kids, the nationally-recognized nonprofit dedicated to matching adult living kidney donors with children in need, today announced its most ambitious initiative to date: the 2026 “Drive to 7000” campaign. This groundbreaking effort aims to break a decades-long barrier, as the U.S. has never recorded 7,000 living kidney donations in a single year.
With thousands of children and nearly 93,000 people in the U.S. waiting for a life-saving kidney, Kidneys for Kids is leading the charge to change this reality. The organization will launch a year-long national media tour, a new push for corporate and healthcare partnerships, and an enhanced wellness program to keep living kidney donation in the news and trending all year.
We’re not just driving across the country in 2026—we’re driving a movement all year,” said Brian Martindale, Executive Director of Kidneys for Kids. “Children like two-year-old Luna Miller, who received a transplant from a living kidney donor in July, are proof that ordinary people can become extraordinary heroes.”
The campaign will include a 12,000-mile, 30-city tour, broadcasting live from locations on The Good Karma TV Network. The initiative’s key goals are to help recruit and support 7,000 adult living kidney donors, provide direct support to families, and educate communities on kidney health and wellness. This multi-platform approach will use storytelling and partnerships to raise public awareness on a historic scale.
About Kidneys for Kids
Kidneys for Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on connecting children and adults in need of kidney transplants with suitable donors, raising awareness, and providing financial support. As a voting member of the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network-OPTN, the organization is deeply passionate about ending the shortage of kidneys available for transplant.
Media Contact:
Brian Martindale
Executive Director, Kidneys for Kids
(989) 493-6111
Driving For Life began in 2022 with the founding of Kidneys for Kids, as a visionary initiative to advocate nationally for both children and adults in desperate need of kidney transplants. This mission is deeply personal to us, as it was ignited by my own life-changing experience as a living kidney donor to 10-year-old Jessica Schwerin in 2013. Her story; and the startling statistics of nearly 2,000 children needing immediate kidney transplants and thousands more undergoing dialysis or treatments urged us to establish Kidneys for Kids as a 5013c non-profit.
We embarked on the “Driving for Life” journey in 2022, and in 2023, we expanded our reach, traveling over seven thousand miles across the nation, amplifying the voices of children in need of a kidney transplant, and raising awareness about the critical importance of organ donation. Our advocacy has resonated deeply with audiences, generating positive results and fostering trust among kidney parents and potential donors alike. The ultimate goal of the Driving for Life mission, is to recruit a minimum of 100 adults to donate 100 kidneys to 100 children.
💙 The 2025 Driving for Life trip has begun, and we just matched our 14th child with an adult living kidney donor 💚
At present, there is no other kidney organization that actively champions the cause of children battling kidney disease on a national scale as Kidneys for Kids does. Our work has been acknowledged by numerous families and organizations who have implored us to continue our mission. We are fully committed to this cause, and we have an ambitious agenda for the year ahead.
In February, we launched our own streaming Tv network-The Good Karma Tv Network, to further amplify our patients’ voices. This revolutionary network of inspirational shows, documentaries, and movies will further inspire and educate viewers to the power of lifesaving organ transplants, and the power of community! Watch us live on Roku-(https://channelstore.roku.com/search/good-karma or here on the Kidneys for Kids website!
Thank you for your support!
