American Kidney Fund Hosts 18th Annual Gala, The Hope Affair, to Honor Our 2026 Kidney Hero and Changemaker

ROCKVILLE, Md. (Oct. 13, 2026) — Today, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) will hold its 18th annual national gala, The Hope Affair®, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The event will bring together kidney patients, advocates, caregivers, health professionals and innovators to honor AKF's 2026 Hero of Hope, Emani McConnell-Brent, and Changemaker Award recipient, the Schattner Foundation. 

"The Hope Affair is a wonderful celebration of the entire kidney community and the many partnerships that are striving to help us achieve our vision of a world without kidney disease," said AKF President and CEO LaVarne A. Burton. "We could not make progress toward that goal without the support of incredible people like Emani McConnell-Brent and organizations like the Schattner Foundation. We are honored to recognize their efforts with the Hero of Hope and Changemaker Awards."

The Hero of Hope award is one of the most prestigious awards given to a kidney patient in the United States, honoring someone who has gone above and beyond to raise awareness, educate others and advocate on behalf of the kidney community.  

2026 Hero of Hope Emani McConnell-Brent is an AKF Ambassador who has made it her mission to "make APOL1 famous," partnering with AKF to bring national attention to APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD), a rapidly progressing genetic kidney disease that can cause kidney failure. Emani was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in her senior year of high school and later learned through genetic testing that her FSGS was related to AMKD. 

Since then, she has worked steadfastly to help educate more people and raise awareness about FSGS and AMKD. When AKF launched the first-ever national AMKD Awareness Day in 2024, McConnell-Brent worked with AKF as a trusted messenger delivering her message on social media, speaking at a Congressional briefing about AMKD on Capitol Hill and appearing at several other conference, events and in national media outlets to share her story.  She has continued to partner with AKF ever since, contributing significantly to increased AMKD awareness among people at risk and the medical community.

AKF's Changemaker Award recipient is the Schattner Foundation. This award honors individuals or organizations who are making an impact by raising awareness and funds to support kidney patients nationwide.

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Robert I. Schattner, the Schattner Foundation is a private charitable foundation that supports and invests in causes that positively impact people's lives in the areas of health and human services, education and research, and Jewish services. Since 2018, the Schattner Foundation has awarded AKF with nearly $2 million in grants to help fund AKF's Safety Net DMV Program, Disaster Relief Program, Camp Connections and our former Calendar Kids program, as well as AKF's Coronavirus Emergency Fund in 2020. 

The foundation has also helped facilitate AKF's ongoing partnership with Food and Friends to provide meals to people living with kidney disease in the Washington, D.C. area. Through the foundation's transformative giving, AKF has been able to make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of people affected by kidney disease — offering support that might not have been possible otherwise. 

The Hope Affair will be emceed by Maureen Umeh, anchor and reporter at Fox 5 DC. Proceeds raised through The Hope Affair will support AKF's prevention, early detection, financial support, disease management, clinical research, innovation and advocacy programs. 

Individuals who wish to contribute to the event may do so on AKF's website. 

The Hope Affair 2026 is made possible thanks to Gold Sponsors Akebia Therapeutics, Silver Sponsors DaVita Kidney Care, Spherix Global Insights, Travere Therapeutics and U.S. Renal Care as well as many other corporate and individual sponsors. A full sponsor listing can be found at TheHopeAffair.org.