More than 5,000 people set out on a 2.5 mile trek through Forest Park on Saturday, April 26, to raise funds for the March of Dimes. There were over 100 family teams who registered for the walk like 2014 Ambassador Family: Kurt and Ashley Schafluetzel and their baby, Ella. March for Babies is the premier fundraising event for the March of Dimes, taking place in more than 700 communities across the country. The St. Louis event is one of the 10 largest March for Babies in the nation.
According to the March of Dimes, premature birth is the most urgent infant health problem in the U.S. affecting more than half a million babies each year. And more than 8,000 Missouri and Metro East babies are born prematurely every year. Babies born early are more likely to die or have disabilities. Walkers included sorority members from the Eta Mu Sigma and Zeta Sigma Chapters of Sigma Gamma Rho.
“We try to give back to the community at any cost,” said Eta Mu Sigma Chapter President Angela Morgan.
Sigma Gamma Rho has a long-standing partnership with the March of Dimes through the sorority’s national initiative Project Reassurance: Healthy Choices, Healthy Living, Healthy Generations. Sigma Gamma Rho chapters nationwide pledged to raise $1,922 for the cause (Sigma Gamma Rho was founded in 1922). Morgan said Eta Mu Sigma is still trying to meet its goal.
“We’re hoping that we can get the word out to say how important it is for us to try to meet a goal that is set by has been set forth by our national headquarters,”
Susan Bushnell, state director for the March of Dimes-Missouri chapter, applauds St. Louis’ philanthropic community. Bushnell anticipates that this year’s event rose over $700,000 to fund local March of Dimes research, education, and programming like the Newborn Medicine/Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The March of Dimes is committed to reducing this toll by funding research to find the answers to premature birth and providing comfort and information to families who are affected. The March of Dimes has invested millions of dollars in Missouri and Illinois for research and programs to give all babies a healthy start.
Morgan’s walk concluded along Baby Boulevard.
“It’s an opportunity for families to pay tribute to the children who have been born too early, suffered a birth defect or possibly passed away,” Bushnell said of Baby Boulevard.
Morgan was moved by the photos and stories of babies who had not survived. She was reminded of how her contribution would positively impact the lives women and their babies. That day she met two children who were born premature and their families.
“It was more intimate to meet somebody,” she said. “Maybe that was my dollar or two to personally help them or help someone in the future.”
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