Kendall Ciesemier is a writer, producer, and reporter, originally from Wheaton,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. She is also the founder of Kids Caring 4 Kids, a non-profit organization she started at age 11.

Early life and education

Kids Caring 4 Kids

After watching a special of ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'' about the

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

epidemic in Africa, Ciesemier founded the volunteer organization Kids Caring 4 Kids in 2005. In May 2007, Ciesemier was named one of America's top ten youth volunteers by Prudential and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. In 2010, she was named one of Glamour Magazine's top ten women of the year for her service work. Ciesemier was also awarded a Daily Point of Light Award for her work doing Kids Caring 4 Kids by

Points of Light Points of Light is an international nonprofit, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Georgia, United States dedicated to engaging more people and resources in solving serious social problems through voluntary service. Each year, Points ...

. The Daily Point of Light Award was created by President

George H.W Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

to "honor individuals and groups creating meaningful change in communities across America". On August 31, 2007, Ciesemier received a surprise visit from

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

at an assembly at

Wheaton North High School Wheaton North High School (WNHS), locally referred to as "North" is a public four-year high school in Wheaton, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. It is one of two high schools that are part of Community Unit School District 200, the other be ...

in recognition of her service. Clinton and Ciesemier then went to appear on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. The episode was broadcast on September 4, 2007. On the show, Clinton announced that his friend would be donating half-a-million dollars to Ciesemier's organization.

Education

Ciesemier attended Franklin Middle School in Wheaton, Illinois, where she was a student when she formed Kids Caring 4 Kids. She graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. While at Georgetown, she co-hosted a radio show called "He Said, She Said" with her older brother Connor, which covered pop culture and current events. Ciesemier later attended the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...

for a six-week program in documentary production.

Career

Ciesemier worked as a production assistant at

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was repla ...

during the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

. She later worked as a producer and reporter for both ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Opinion Section and Mic. While at Mic, Ciesemier interviewed

Alice Marie Johnson Alice Marie Johnson (born May 30, 1955) is an American criminal justice reform advocate and former federal prisoner. She was convicted in 1996 for her involvement in a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization and sentenced to life imprisonment. ...

, who was serving life without parole for a first-time nonviolent drug offense. The interview inspired

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the celebrity sex tape ...

to advocate for the clemency of Johnson. Ciesemier currently works for the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

as a host of the podcast ''At Liberty'' and as a multimedia producer.

Friendship and work with Tonya Ingram

In 2019, at age 27,

Tonya Ingram Tonya Ingram (September 1, 1991 – December 30, 2022) was an American poet, author, speaker, Disability rights movement, disability activist, and mental health advocate. Ingram died on December 30, 2022, waiting for a Kidney transplantation, ki ...

posted on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

looking for a living person willing to become her kidney-donor. The organ procurement system (OPS) in the United States, run by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), as of 2019, failed to recover around 28,000 organs a year. Utilizing journalism, Ingram and writer and organ-recipient, Ciesemier, asked the government to hold the organizations involved in OPS accountable, believing this would result in Ingram receiving a kidney. Ingram told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy that she would die without the federal government's urgent action. A year and a half later, on Dec. 30, 2022, Ingram died of complications from kidney failure. In 2022, Ingram was one of 12,000 people on waiting lists who died or became too sick to receive a transplant. Ingram's friend and fellow journalist, Ciesemier, commented on future potential for intervention in the organ procurement system by the American government:

Personal life

Ciesemier was born with a rare liver disease called

biliary atresia Biliary atresia, also known as extrahepatic ductopenia and progressive obliterative cholangiopathy, is a childhood disease of the liver in which one or more bile ducts are abnormally narrow, blocked, or absent. It can be congenital or acquired. ...

and has undergone two

liver transplant Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a Liver disease, diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for Cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and ...

s at

Children's Memorial Hospital Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has ...

in Chicago. In 2010, she was part of the design team for its replacement, the

Lurie Children's Hospital Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has ...

. She has stated that her own personal struggles are part of what inspired her to help others.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ciesemier, Kendall People from Wheaton, Illinois Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni Liver transplant recipients Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American journalists American disability rights activists American medical journalists American online journalists American public speakers