Photos courtesy of March of Dimes
More than 38,000 babies are born prematurely in the United States every year… To put that into perspective, that is one baby every two seconds.
For 80 years, the March of Dimes has been at the forefront of the fight for the health of all mothers and babies. The organization started as a result of the personal struggle of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s polio diagnosis and has since pioneered research leading to the eradication of polio. Now it has a new mission: solve the biggest health threats to babies and their mothers.
On Sunday, March 28, you along with more than 7,000 passionate walkers can and will gather to help support healthy starts for every newborn baby in the March of Dime’s largest fundraising event of the year, March for Babies.
Taking place down near COSI, the walk will span across the Scioto River to the Downtown Riverfront and will feature a 1- and a 3-mile route.
Photo courtesy of March of Dimes
If you're not interested in walking, there will be no shortage of family-friendly activities surrounding the fundraiser. From a number of food trucks, a live DJ dance party to the March for Babies Kids Zone with bounce houses, games and sports-related activities, this is a cannot miss event.
Money raised from this event stays within the Columbus community to assure moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies and helps assist the groundbreaking research long supported by the March of Dimes.
This year’s ambassador to the walk is Fisher Puckett, a baby born at 26 weeks on August 2, 2016. Due to a preeclampsia diagnosis, Puckett weighed 1 lb 9 oz and spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit fighting anemia, respiratory distress syndrome and Patent Ductus Arterlosus. Puckett is now a happy and healthy 2-year-old who enjoys visiting the aquarium and zoo, playing with his cousins and reading books.
The Puckett family credit the discoveries of the March of Dimes including surfactant therapy as keys in their baby’s health.
For more information about the walk and how to donate, click here.
March for Babies
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com.
