At the March of Dimes, we promise to work tirelessly toward the day when all babies are born healthy.

Babies have been at the heart of our mission since 1958, when we shifted our mission focus to pregnancy and baby health. Although you may not know it, you have been touched by the March of Dimes if:

Your baby or a baby you know was born prematurely, too small and too soon, and received lifesaving lung surfactant therapy to help with breathing; you know that neural tube defects, like Spina Bifida, can be prevented up to 70 percent of the time if women take a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms of the B vitamin folic acid before and during pregnancy; your baby or a baby you know was cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit or NICU; you and your children were vaccinated against polio; you or someone in your family received the PKU test-a heel prick blood test that can diagnose a disorder which causes severe mental retardation if left untreated-after birth; you are aware that alcohol, drug, and tobacco use during conception and pregnancy can lead to severe birth defects; or you or someone you know received a rubella vaccine.

You have also been touched by the March of Dimes if you’re one of the many parents who had a premature baby in West Virginia in the last year. They provide support and resources to families in the NICU wondering when or if they’ll be able to take their baby home. March of Dimes strives to prevent prematurity, birth defects, and infant mortality through research and community programs.

March for Babies is the easiest way you can support their mission. Join the thousands of walkers who walk each year to raise much-needed funds. This year’s events take place on April 25 at Oglebay Park in Wheeling. We welcome families, friends, individuals, and companies to attend the event. Babies are especially welcome.

Help us give every baby a healthy start. Sign up at marchforbabies.org, call 304-848-2012, 800-644-3488, or e-mail kwhite@marchofdimes.com.

Respectfully,

Kim White

Northern Division, Community Director