Bottles of Spring Water to Send Meaningful Health Message to Consumers

American Kidney Fund
Saturday, 20 April 2002

(Rockville, MD) Most consumers know that drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water per day is a universal prescription for healthy living. The medical experts' advice is particularly true in maintaining good kidney health, so the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and Bluesprings Company of Chicago have teamed up to educate the public about the causes, treatment, and prevention of kidney failure.

Nadeem Mizra, President of Bluesprings Company says each bottle of its "Naturally Zero" brand spring water will feature the American Kidney Fund logo, as well as information about AKF and its programs. "Naturally Zero" will be distributed by Clarus Canadian's U.S. partner, the Beverage Network, and will be initially be available in the Chicago area everywhere bottled water is sold, with a special emphasis on health-oriented locations such as clinics and hospitals. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the water will go to support the American Kidney Fund.

Expressing confidence that consumers will get the AKF message, Mizra said, "When called upon, members of the business community and other institutions will do their part in making 'Naturally Zero' widely available to consumers. This will advance our public awareness campaign and will provide AKF with much-needed funds to directly help kidney patients."

American Kidney Fund Executive Director Karen Sendelback elaborated on the benefits of AKF's partnership with Bluesprings. Sendelback noted, "The American Kidney Fund was established 30 years ago to raise money to enable just one person to receive dialysis - a treatment which keeps people alive who would otherwise die, due to kidney failure.

Last year, AKF helped more than 30,000 low-income patients with their treatment-related expenses."

More than 2 million Americans have kidney health problems and more than 370,000 have permanent kidney failure, according to AKF. Sendelback explained, "These people are not only fighting a disease, but they are facing an enormous financial challenge. The cost of living with kidney disease is truly overwhelming. With each bottle of water sold, AKF will benefit and so will needy kidney patients."

Public education about kidney disease and its causes is an important part of the American Kidney Fund's mission. AKF promotes a healthy lifestyle as a tool to prevent kidney disease, and a key to prevention is to drink plenty of water. "That is why our targeted partnership with Bluesprings is such a perfect fit," concluded Sendelback.

For more information on how you can purchase "Naturally Zero" spring water in your area, visit Clarus Canadian's web site at www.claruscanadian.com.

For more information, or to contact American Kidney Fund, see their website at: www.akfinc.org