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No. 13 Vol. 8
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www.mypaperonline.com
For More Than A Decade, Organizer Continues March To Support Maternal And Child Health
By Stefanie Sears arch of Dimes plans to hold its annual Passaic County March for Babies walk on Sun., April 30. Meeting time is at 8 a.m. at Wayne Hills High School. March of Dimes is an organization founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 to find a cure for polio. Thanks to March of Dimes funding, research helped the polio vaccine into existence. Now the organization is dedicated to maternal and child health and March for Babies was
first established in 1970. Now they have 10 walks in North and Central Jersey. “I got involved with March of Dimes 11 years ago when my family and I joined a March for Babies event after a family loss,” says March of Dimes Senior Development Manager JoAnn Bartoli. “My brother and his wife had twin girls that were born premature at just 22 weeks. Unfortunately, their lungs were underdeveloped and not able to sustain them. They passed away 30 minutes after their birth. My sister in-law was
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perfectly healthy, did everything right but they still came early. We learned of a local March for Babies event and started a family team. It was a wonderful experience for all of us to know that there were others who understood this type of loss and that there was an organization that was focused on making sure others did not have to go through something as devastating as this.” Bartoli then wanted to get involved more. She discovered an opening for community director in 2010. “I am passionate about the work that March of Dimes has done since it was founded in 1938 and will continue to do to make sure every baby has the chance of a healthy life,” she says. “I am proud to be a part of it, to be able to work in our communities and meet so many wonderful families
and volunteers who truly inspire me. March of Dimes has touched the lives of everyone of us through their research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs.” Over 10,000 babies are born premature each year, which is the leading cause of first year deaths and a cause of physical and learning disabilities. Bartoli hopes that the March of Dimes will have the same effect on prematurity that it did on polio – eliminating it completely. Last year, the Passaic County campaign raised $155,000. This year, the goal is $160,000. Proceeds go to lifesaving research towards pre-term labor prevention, medical care enhancement for preterm babies, community grants funding for services and education to improve both mothers and babies’ health, and support provided for families in the neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU). March for Babies also funds efforts to hinder the spread of the Zika virus. “Our families are the backbone of this event, but we have many school groups who also participate and local businesses,” she says. “They can register walk teams at marchforbabies.org to help us to raise
funds through the online fundraising site and come out on April 30th to show their support. It’s a fun family friendly event,” says Bartoli. “Businesses can also sponsor the event and have a table to promote their business or provide an accontinued on page 2
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