Erma Bombeck invited fellow authors to join her for the country’s first Authors Luncheon in 1980. Why? Erma thought it would be a unique way to raise funds for Arizona kidney patients. She was right. The Authors Luncheon was an immediate success and quickly became an annual event. The Arizona Women’s Board is dedicated to continuing Erma’s tradition of bringing best-selling authors together to help write a brighter future for Arizona kidney patients. The Friends of Erma Bombeck Authors Luncheon has raised more than $13 million for programs that directly benefit Arizona’s kidney patients and their families. The Women’s Board is honored to continue Erma’s legacy each Fall at its gathering of best-selling authors who present their latest releases.

President: Ingrid Haas

Vice President: Susan Purtill

Recording Secretary: Karen Quinif

Corresponding Secretary: April Ward

Treasurer: Laura Dannerbeck

Authors Luncheon Chairman: Jennifer Carmer

Immediate Past President: Susan Doria

Administrative Consultant: Robyn Lee

Kimberly Afkhami, Elise Bard, Laura Bill, Irene Bonadurer, Shaun Bracken, Jennifer Carmer, Laura Dannerbeck, Susan Doria, Jana Earnest, Amanda Garmany, Lisa Ghelfi, Christine Gustafson, Ingrid Haas, Megan Hackbarth, Carrie Hall, Nadine Hart, Brenda Howard, Shelley Hubbard, Jackie Hutt, Carolyn Jackson, Kimberly Jacobsen, Dana Jirauch, Sandy Katzman, Melissa Kenly, Stephanie Kerkorian, Robyn Lee, Sheri Levin, Amy Louis, Lynne Love, Jenifer Lunt, Susan Purtill, Karen Quinif, Lori Roediger, Alexa Schneider, Amy Slethaug, Marci Symington, Kristine Thompson, DeeDee Vecchione, April Ward, and Candyce Williams

Ann Albers, Sydney Anderson, Leslie Berry, Jan Bohannon, Julie Bowe, Jan Cacheris, Susan Charlton, Jane Christensen, Mary Crozier, Robyn DeBell, Ann Denk, Margie Denton, Jacquie Dorrance, Sydney Dye, Gee Gee Entz, Nancy Hanley Eriksson, Virginia Feffer, Shän Francis, Harriet Friedland, Colleen Gaia, Nancy Gaintner, Erin Gogolak, Babs Gordon, Lenni Griego, Penny Gunning, Leah Hoffman, Nan Howlett, Mary Hudak, Carrie Hulburd, Catherine Jacobson, Rona Kasen, Sandy Kostis, Julie Kroot, Patti Lau, Jamie Lendrum, Suzanne Lewis, Judy Linhart, Julie Linhart, Janis Lyon, Sandy Magruder, Brenda Mason, Linda Mattes, Genny Matteucci, Kathleen McClain, Linda Nachman, Virginia Nosky, Susan Palmer-Hunter, Lois Savage, Judy Schubert, Sallye Schumacher, Susan Segal, Judy Shannon, Beverly Shaver, Margo Shein, Susie Small, Betsy Stodola, Sue Stuckey, Sandi Thomas, JoAnn Tull, Polly Turpin, Melani Walton, Joan Warne, Kari Yatkowski and Rachel Zemer

Glenna Shapiro (in memoriam), Adriana Trigiani

National Kidney Foundation of Arizona

Programs: Patient Assistance for Rent, Food and Supplements; The Path to Wellness; Drive for Dialysis; and Camp Kidney

Patient assistance programs support one-time rent payments for kidney patients in an emergency situation; grocery store gift cards; a kidney cookbook; and protein supplements not covered by health insurance. The Path to Wellness program provides point-of-care kidney screenings with on-site results and secure travel cases for expensive equipment. Drive for Dialysis provides 500 care packages for individuals undergoing dialysis. Camp Kidney provides a special weekend away from home for pediatric kidney patients and their families.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation

Programs: Nephrology Patient Assistance; Blood Pressure Cuffs, Urine Dipsticks

Patient assistance programs provide preventive, financial, psychosocial and ancillary support to pediatric patients receiving dialysis, kidney transplants and treatment for kidney-related illness and disease. This includes infant and child blood pressure cuffs for at-home pressure monitoring to avoid medication; ambulatory blood pressure machines for 24-hour monitoring; 800 urine protein dipsticks for patients with nephrotic syndrome; and funds for emergent situations involving supplies, utilities, rent, car payments, gas and food.

St. Joseph’s Foundation

Programs: Kidney Transplant Patient Support Fund

The kidney transplant patient support fund ensures all patients getting a transplant at the Kidney Transplant Program at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute receive the best care possible. Kidney transplants are expensive and can reach nearly a half-million in total costs, not including the lifetime of immunosuppressant medications needed to ward off organ rejection. Funds will assist transplant patients most in need of financial support with out-of-pocket expenses for medicines, transportation, lodging and food.

TGen Foundation

Programs: Leveraging Liquid Biopsies for Early Detection of Diabetic Kidney Disease and Creating Better Reference Genomes for Native American Ancestry

The liquid biopsy study will investigate the protein composition of urinary extracellular vesicles and urinary metabolites in a cross-sectional cohort of 30 patients with diabetic kidney disease. Creating non-invasive diagnostic tools and prognostic markers can help patients better manage their illness, monitor progression and prevent end-stage renal disease. The genome for Native Americans ancestry study will develop Native American reference genomes by aggregating information from multiple individuals (a pan-reference genome) as well as by creating a prospective or de novo assembly of a single individual’s Native American ancestry genome. Both genomes will help identify clinical variants in individuals with Native American ancestry.

Transplant Community Alliance

Programs: Living Assistance Fund

The living assistance fund provides relief from financial stress caused by a kidney transplant and allows low-income kidney transplant recipients as well as candidates on the donor waitlist to focus on their care and healing. Assistance is a one-time payment to bridge a gap between loss of income from a transplant and living expenses. Eligible expenses include rent payments, utility bills, transportation costs, co-pays for medications and insurance premiums. Payments are made directly to the provider on behalf of the kidney patient.

Valleywise Health Foundation

Programs: Arizona Women’s Board for Healthier Families Food Pharmacy

The food pharmacy uses food as medicine for diverse, low-income patients and their families to reduce obesity, hypertension, pre-diabetes and diabetes, that left unchecked can lead to kidney disease. Staff at Valleywise health clinics provide healthy food, nutritional counseling, cooking workshops, opportunities for activity and movement, family support, prevention education, health information, and social support to improve patient health outcomes.  Valleywise utilizes Farm Express, that operates mobile markets, to ensure medically vulnerable community members have consistent access to affordable, healthy foods at the food markets.