march for babies blog

Vote for Kelly!

Team Youth Ambassador Kelly Clarkson’s single, “My Life Would Suck Without You” has been nominated for this years’ Teen Choice Music: Single. So show your support for Kelly and click here to vote. Make sure to register first at teenchoiceawards.com and note that voters must be between the ages of 13 and 19 years old.

The 2009 Teen Choice Awards air on FOX, Monday, August 10th at 8pm. Be sure to tune in to see the results. Congratulations Kelly, from all of us at the March of Dimes!

Love Hannah Montana? Fan of Miley Cyrus? Bid now for a Miley Cyrus signed guitar! What an awesome birthday gift or treat for yourself! Bidding ends on Friday evening so make your move at ebay.com/auctioncase. All proceeds go to the March of Dimes!

Shout out to all Miley fans and parents - check out the auction now!

More details on the guitar: Ibanez acoustic guitar signed by Miley Cyrus with beautiful natural, high-gloss finish and comes with a hard black Road Runner case. Thanks!

Kerri and Maggie with DC March for Babies leaders

The Washington Monument in the background, families and friends gathered and the sun shining - combined, these pieces make for a perfect March for Babies day! The DC event was a great success, with local residents showing up in full force to walk around our Nation’s Capitol so that one day every baby is born healthy.

As you avid readers know, Kerri Strug came out to the event and was able to spend some time with our top youth walker in the area, Maggie. Kerri got a few fundraising tips from superstar Maggie. And Maggie, who hadn’t reached her goal yet, sent another ask with photos from her day at March for Babies and hit her goal, raising $3015!

From family teams to high school volunteers to some of our favorite athletes including Kerri and Brian Mitchell, the day was all about people coming together to support the March of Dimes and healthy babies. I had a fabulous time at my 11th March for Babies, and I hope you did too! Tell us all about it.

And if you happen to be walking in San Antonio this weekend, keep your eyes out for American Idol former contestant and local Team Youth Ambassador Haley Scarnato. She’ll be making an appearance at the San Antonio March for Babies!

Kelly & Alex; Photo by DavidBean.net

Congratulations Kelly Clarkson, March of Dimes National Team Youth Ambassador, who walked the entire route with her team at the Nashville March for Babies yesterday!

Despite the rain, Kelly was out with her cute green umbrella and March for Babies hat and had a great time. Go Kelly! Thanks for all that you do for the March of Dimes year-round! She also got to meet some special youth volunteers and ambassador families and hear their stories and why the March of Dimes is so important.

In the photo you see Kelly with top youth volunteer Alexandra Wallace from the March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter. What an awesome experience for Alexandra! The March of Dimes thanks Kelly Clarkson for her dedication to our cause – and to her leadership with the Foundation.

You can donate to Team Kelly Clarkson online to show your support at marchforbabies.org/kellyclarkson.

Hip Hop Performers at KnightWalk

Across the country, college students are doing their own March for Babies events on campus to raise awareness and funds for the March of Dimes. These dedicated student leaders spend countless hours finding sponsors, donors, teams, water, food, tents and more to make a fun and successful event because they know the end result is so worth it - reaching the day when every baby is born healthy.

For University of Central Florida student and March of Dimes intern Julia, it is all about making UCF a “Champion for Babies” and raising the bar each year on their campus event, KnightWalk. Led by the UCF March of Dimes Collegiate Council, the event is set to surpass its $10,000 goal - go Knights!

To up the excitement factor, UCF added ”Field Day for Babies” to the mix this year and had students competing in tug-of-war and potato sack races at the halfway point. Not only did they spice up the walk route, but they had hip-hop performers entertain the crowd before the walk started and UCF Group Exercise instructors lead everyone in the warm-up stretches! President of UCF John Hitt along with other community leaders spoke at the event, and a local Ambassador Family brought the mission home to all who attended.

I also asked Chloe, a sophomore at the University of Virginia who is gearing up for the first ever UVA March for Babies, what her event was all about and she shared: “As a national youth representative of the March of Dimes National Youth Council, I along with the members of the Tau Theta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. are currently in the midst of planning for the 1st Annual UVA March for Babies at UVa on April 18, 2009.  I have received tremendous support thus far from my peers including those in the Second-Year Council and local vendors as sponsors of the event, along with Greek and non-Greek organizations on campus.” They’ve set a goal of over 100 walkers for this first year and I know they’ll make it.

Holding an event on your campus? Interested in learning more? Leave us some love and let us know about your event!

Kelly Clarkson

So you might have caught her on SNL last week. Or Good Morning America. Or Oprah today. Get the picture? Kelly is on fire right now with a #1 album, All I Ever Wanted! And as you regular readers know, she is also a superstar for healthier babies.

Kelly’s fans, though, are the coolest. I just read an outstanding comment on our blog about Kelly and the March of Dimes - what if each fan donated just $5? What a huge difference that would make in the lives of babies and families!

So big shout-outs to all the fans; you can get on board too by donating that $5 to Team Kelly or forming your own team for March for Babies. The Kelly Clarkson Express Board raises money every year in honor of her birthday, and Kellyville does online auctions with proceeds going to the March of Dimes. Spread the word on the $5 fan campaign… Twitter, Facebook, MySpace… let all the KC lovers unite to help healthier babies, then come here and tell us about it! Rock on.

Kelly Clarkson

Just days before her new CD drops (can’t wait!), Kelly is doing even more to help us get the word out about March for Babies this year.

Keep your eye out for a message from March of Dimes and Kelly Clarkson coming your way. Also, MSN Mobile and Sony have partnered with Kelly Clarkson to let you know how you can sign up for the March for Babies and support the March of Dimes.

In the meantime, mosey on over to Kelly’s team page and make sure you tell any super Kelly Clarkson fans you know about how she is involved with the March of DImes (then follow up with a hint hint wink wink for a donation for your team this year)!

Team Youth is pretty awesome - all of our volunteers from elementary to college students, doing amazing fundraising and mission activities all of the time. This spring we’ll have March of Dimes Collegiate Councils such as Bobcats for Babies at Ohio University out there walking; we’ll also have a 1st grade classroom with a class member touched by premature birth out there walking. From the Student Senate in New York to San Diego’s Chain Reaction, and Anna and Frankie in Hawaii to Kendra and Kyle in Florida - we have youth walking everywhere for stronger, healthier babies! It is just so cool.

And you know who else is part of March for Babies? Our Team Youth Celebrity Spokesperson, Kelly Clarkson! Kelly Clarkson and her fans (including these two Team Youth bloggers, we luv u!) raise money in March for Babies and show their support so that one day all babies will be born healthy and strong and on time.

 
Basically this is just a shout out to our awesome youth walkers and to Kelly Clarkson. Want to give your own shout out to your favorite youth walker? Leave us (and them) some luv with a comment!

Looking for a cool way to raise money for March for Babies? Check out what Long Island is doing with schools and districts – challenging them to raise a mile of dimes this spring!

One mile has 5,280 feet – and if you raise a mile, you can raise as much as $10,560 for your March for Babies team! Class challenges, grade challenges, and asking local businesses to sponsor a few feet are just a few of the ways the students will be participating.

Students are encouraged to sell a quarter mile of dimes, $2,640, and become an official member of the Quarter Mile Club. They will seek out their teachers, friends, parents, relatives, coaches and others to buy feet of dimes, yards of dimes, and maybe even a whole quarter mile to join the club.

Every time a sale is made, a student has the opportunity to educate the public about healthy babies and prematurity and its effect upon the community. Check out some of our resources for Mile of Dimes on the Team Youth site!

What creative ways are you raising money for March for Babies this year?