Oxford, Mississippi
Kidney awareness, patient support, and scholarships — built by people who have lived it.
Who We Are
The Roberta J. Ivy Kidney Awareness Foundation is a Mississippi nonprofit based in Oxford. We work to raise awareness of kidney disease in our community, stand beside the people living with it, and open doors for young people heading into health care careers.
The foundation was founded by Robert G. Ivy, who serves as President and CEO. Robert was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1998. It has run through his family — it affected both his mother and his sister — and he is a transplant recipient himself. He started the annual kidney awareness walk in Oxford in 2015 and formally organized the foundation in 2018.
your life is turned upside down
Robert G. Ivy, on learning he would need dialysis, to the Oxford Eagle
That is the reality this foundation exists to soften. Dialysis takes hours, several days a week. It makes holding down a job difficult and sometimes impossible, and the costs pile up at exactly the moment a family can least afford them.
The foundation carries Roberta J. Ivy’s name. Her story — and why Robert built this in her name — will be told here soon.
What We Do
Education and Prevention
Kidney disease is often silent until it is advanced. We take awareness directly into the Oxford and Lafayette County community, with a focus on the two biggest drivers behind it: high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Catching those early is the difference between managing a condition and losing a kidney to it.
Patient Assistance
We provide direct, practical help to patients at the Oxford Dialysis Unit — assistance with travel costs and lost wages, along with comfort items like blankets and books collected through donations. In December 2023 the foundation presented $1,500 to the Oxford Dialysis Center. The goal is to extend that support into surrounding communities such as Sardis.
Student Scholarships
We award scholarships to high school students pursuing careers in health care — because the best long-term answer to kidney disease in a small community is more of our own people trained to treat it.
The Annual Kidney Walk
The Roberta J. Ivy Kidney Walk is our flagship event and our main fundraiser. It has been held every September since 2015. The 10th Annual Walk took place on Saturday, September 6, 2025, starting at 8:00 AM at the Boys and Girls Club in Oxford.
The 11th Annual Walk has not been announced yet. Dates, sponsorship and registration details will be posted here as soon as they are set — check back, or reach out using the contact information below.
How You Can Help
- Give directly. Contact Robert Ivy at the email or phone number below to make a donation or send a check to the foundation.
- Walk with us in September, or sponsor the walk as a business or a church.
- Donate comfort items — blankets and books for patients spending long hours at the dialysis unit.
- Spread the word. Follow the foundation on social media and share what you see. In a community this size, word of mouth is how people find out they should get their kidney function checked.
Contact
Robert G. Ivy — President and CEO
Email: robertivy17@gmail.com
Phone: 662-388-0603
Oxford, Mississippi
Find us online: Instagram · Facebook RJI Kidney Awareness Foundation · TikTok @662robert
The Roberta J. Ivy Kidney Awareness Foundation is a Mississippi nonprofit corporation, incorporated March 8, 2018 and in good standing, with 501(c)(3) status granted in 2018 (EIN 82-4905111). Officers of record: Robert G. Ivy, President and CEO; Jamilia Ivy, Vice President; Mary Leach, Secretary and Treasurer. The IRS record still lists the organization under its original name, Roberta J. Ivy Kidney Foundation.
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