march for babies blog

As a way to honor their twin daughters, Chloe and Isabelle, Paulina and Josh Levine began raising money through March for Babies. The Levine’s twin girls were born at just 26 weeks in May of 2006; Chloe lived for two days and Isabelle lived for five weeks.

“We love that March for Babies gives us a forum to honor the memory of our girls,” says Paulina. “We’re inspired by the support we receive and the notes people write on our March for Babies webpage.”

“Registering through marchforbabies.org is simple,” continues Paulina. “And the personalized webpage makes it so easy to ask for donations. Once you sign up you just email your friends and family.”

There are 17,600 family teams who raise money to celebrate, honor and remember babies and children. If you’d like to join them and honor or remember a child, get started now.

Thank you fans of Farmers Insurance Open! In only five days, more than 5,000 of you became fans of Farmers Insurance Open and helped generate $50,000 in donations to March of Dimes. Thanks to you and Farmers for helping to make a difference!

The March of Dimes National Ambassador is one of the most beloved volunteers of our organization. Each year a child is chosen to serve as a volunteer for 1 full year with his or her family members. Today we are honored to share that our 2012 National Ambassador will be 5 year old Kieran Wittstruck from right outside of Seattle, Washington. Here is a little bit about their story:

“My husband, Shane, and I never once thought of pregnancy as a life-or-death event,” Shalini Wittstruck recalls. “Then one day our lives and all our expectations changed.”

Their son, Kieran, was born at 31 weeks, weighing just 3 lbs., 1 oz. He spent the first months of his life in the newborn intensive care unit (NIUC), battling anemia, jaundice, apnea, bradycardia, a heart murmur and a brain cyst. With medical advances supported by the March of Dimes, Kieran pulled through.

Now 5 years old, Kieran still flips expectations on their head. Outside his home near Seattle, he likes to ride his bike and swim. He also is a budding mechanical engineer and is always working on his next great invention. And if that wasn’t enough, he even runs his own cat spy agency: MEOWS!

From his difficult start to the creative kindergartner he is today, Kieran’s story is a happy one. “We are thankful every day for how far he has come,” says Shane.

“I didn’t think premature birth could happen to me, but it did.” says Shalini, who has served as co-chair for the Cigna March for Babies (R) team in Seattle since 2007. “We need the March of Dimes to make sure it won’t happen to you.”

As the 2012 March of Dimes National Ambassador, Kieran will travel the country with his parents, sharing his story and raising awareness. You can see Kieran and his family on the set of Fox and Friends from a visit this week, and watch their story here: 



Visit Kieran’s blog to keep up with his travels through the year at kieranstravels.marchofdimes.com.

The New Year has started, and we’re all ready for March for Babies 2012 – and we hope you are, too. Sign up now and find out when and where your March for Babies event is taking place.

If you’ll be leading a team or are thinking about starting one, now is a great time to get organized. Pull together your mailing list and email a “save the date” to everyone who walked or supported you last year. Just reactivate your account and use the email feature on your team captain dashboard.

We’re anticipating this to be a great year. We hope you’ll join us!

Get a jump on your New Year’s Resolutions by signing up for your March for Babies 2012 walk!

Did you walk last year? Just sign in and reactivate your account.

New to March for Babies? Get started by finding a walk near you!

When you walk in March for Babies, you give hope to the more than half a million babies born too soon each year. The money you raise supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. We’ve been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $1.8 billion to benefit all babies.

Volunteers across the country, and across the world, are coming together this month to raise awareness of the serious problem of premature birth. Join us this November in Prematurity Awareness Month!

On World Prematurity Day, November 17, change your Facebook status to recognize the million babies worldwide who died this year because they were born too soon, and the additional 12 million babies who were born too soon and struggle to survive. Ask all your friends to change their status, too.

Like our World Prematurity Day Facebook page to join others around the world in sharing your story.

Want to do more? Check out our Adult Volunteer Guide (pdf) with activities you can host in your workplace or community to raise awareness. If you’re a student, view our Youth Volunteer Guide (pdf) for a range of ideas on fundraising and awareness events you can host on your campus.

Let us know what you’re doing this year to raise awareness of the serious problem of premature birth and help more babies start healthy lives!

 

Each year, March of Dimes Team Youth honors our youth volunteers and advisors who have gone above and beyond their duties to show devotion and support of the March of Dimes mission in their local communities. Recipients of the 2011 Team Youth Awards are volunteers from across the nation who have furthered the March of Dimes mission.

 

I was lucky enough to sit down (virtually) with the 2011 March of Dimes Outstanding Chapter Youth Volunteer to discuss her passion and dedication for the March of Dimes. Annalisa  Sega is an incoming sophomore at Southington High School in Connecticut and was named the Hartford County’s Outstanding Teen 2011 in the Miss Connecticut Scholarship Organization. 

 

Annalisa, born prematurely at 31 weeks and weighing just 3 lbs 0.5 oz.,feels both blessed and honored to be recognized for such an high achievement from an organization she “owes her life to.

 

When she first started volunteering, Annalisa remembers, she wanted to give back to this amazing organization, but soon after she fell in love with the organization, the staff, and events. She even developed and executed her own event - an annual local Talent Show to benefit the March of Dimes that has welcomed a huge crowd, selling out tickets every year, since being implemented only three years ago.

 

She loves every experience the March of Dimes has given her and encourages all volunteers to find their passion and follow-through:

“Do something you love! If you love to bake, host a bake sale. If you love to perform, host a talent show. Keep going and don’t give up. Once you get rolling it’s the greatest time of your life.”

Annalisa’s favorite March of Dimes memory is her experience being at the

2008 March for Babies in Middletown, CT. That year, she participated with a group of 20 volunteers. During the event it started to downpour, but no one in her group stopped marching. As they reached the finish line, Annalisa noticed that cars filled with people holding March of Dimes signs stopped to watch them, the last team, cross the line. Despite the cold weather and the terrible weather conditions, everyone was smiling and excited to help this amazing organization.

 

As a youth volunteer, Annalisa feels the March of Dimes has helped her tremendously in preparing for the future in terms of health and education, and has given her the tools to inform and engage her peers. She knows the importance of practicing a healthy lifestyle and making good choices, because she and all youth volunteers are the parents of tomorrow.

 

For more information on the 2012 Team Youth Awards (nominations are due May 30, 2012) or about youth volunteer opportunities, please contact teamyouth@marchofdimes.com.

 

Discussion:

What is your favorite part about being a youth volunteer? 

March of Dimes celebrity mom and star of the hit comedy “Modern Family” actress Julie Bowen was honored last night as the best supporting actress in a comedy. Congratulations, Julie, on this award and thank you for all that you do to support the March of Dimes and healthy babies!

Watch Julie share important information on healthy pregnancies from the March of Dimes:

One day only - shop, save and give back on August 27th during Macy’s Shop For A Cause benefiting March of Dimes. Buy your $5 savings pass at any Macy’s store now through Saturday, or online at marchofdimes.com/shopforacause, and save 25 percent on purchases made online or in any store with limited exclusions. 100% of the savings pass goes to help babies!

Click here to find out more!

One day only - shop, save and give back on August 27th. March of Dimes is the exclusive national beneficiary of Macy’s Shop For A Cause! Buy a $5 savings pass at marchofdimes.com/shopforacause and save with limited exclusions at any store or online on Saturday, August 27th only, just in time for back to school!

Click here to find out more!