CHERRY VALLEY, N.Y. - At age 7, Grace Utter can add “Published Artist” to her list of accomplishments.

Grace was chosen as a winner of the American Kidney Fund’s Calendar Art Contest, a nationwide search for drawings to illustrate the organization’s 2010 wall calendar. Grace’s artwork, titled “My Family’s Farm,” is published on the September page of the nationally distributed calendar. The Cherry Valley native is one of 13 contest winners, all of whom are children living with kidney disease.

“The American Kidney Fund is delighted to recognize Grace’s beautiful artwork and it is our great pleasure to display her talent in the American Kidney Fund calendar,” said LaVarne A. Burton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Kidney Fund.

The calendars can be purchased on the American Kidney Fund website.

All proceeds from the calendars will directly support the programs and services of the American Kidney Fund, including vital financial assistance to kidney patients who are in need and programs for children with kidney disease.

Last year, the American Kidney Fund provided over $1.6 million in treatment-related assistance to dialysis patients in New York, helping them to maintain health insurance coverage and pay for other treatment-related expenses.

In September, Grace, along with the other winners and their families, attended an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., including a tour of the nation’s capital and an honorary awards dinner.

Grace is one of the 31 million Americans with kidney disease. According to the United States Renal Data System, about 2,200 children are living on dialysis and 5,300 are living with kidney transplants.

While waiting for a kidney transplant, Grace undergoes peritoneal dialysis. Though the treatment can be demanding, she believes in keeping a positive attitude. “Don’t be scared,” she said. She credits her mother as her role model.

Grace was thrilled to have been chosen as a winner.

“My nurse told me to enter and when I found out I won I jumped up and down,” she said.

In her spare time she enjoys horseback riding, drawing and crafts. Her favorite subject in school is reading and her favorite food is tortellini. Despite her challenges, she is hopeful about the future and aspires to be a doctor when she grows up.

For more information on the Calendar Kids Contest and to order the American Kidney Fund calendar, visit www.kidneyfund.org".