Announcing the National Family Team Incentive

Two members from each of the Top 10* Family Teams in
March for Babies 2012 will be invited to attend the

March of Dimes

National Volunteer Leadership Conference

Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
Orlando, FL

October 18 - 21, 2012

Includes travel accommodations, three night stay
and admission to the Magic Kingdom.

A separate drawing will be held on July 1, 2012 to select three family teams that have raised $5,000 or more.*

Two members from each of these teams will also be invited to attend the national volunteer leadership conference and
Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.

*Fundraising totals received by the March of Dimes
as of June 30, 2012 at 11:59 p.m.

Team Emmy Bear

Emily decided she was ready to come into the world on Friday, August 13, 2010. My husband and I rushed to the hospital early in the morning to find out I was in preterm labor. Luckily the team at Greater Baltimore Medical Center Labor and Delivery were able to stop my contractions. I was able to receive two shots of corticosteroid over the next 24 hour period to help develop the baby’s lungs. I lasted on bed rest of three nights and the contractions started again early Monday morning. This time the doctors could not stop the contractions.
I had to have an emergency cesarean section. Our tiny baby was born at 5:04 am on August 16th. She was born at 26 weeks gestation and weighed only 2 pounds, 5 ounces and was 13.5 inches long. She had to be put on the ventilator right away to help her breathe. Ten days after Emily was born we were finally able to hold her. Since she was on the ventilator for this long she was diagnosed with Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). She was given surfactant therapy to help the small air sacs in her lungs from collapsing. Without March of Dimes research, Emily may have breathing problems or worse, may not have made it out of the NICU.

Emily spent the next 86 days in the NICU at GBMC. They were the hardest days of our lives. Visiting her everyday- multiple times a day we saw new babies checking into the NICU. Some were much smaller and even sicker than our Emily.
Today Emily is 17 months old, healthy and so happy. She amazes my husband and me every day. I support the March of Dimes because before I delivered at 26 weeks, I had no idea the magnitude of issues and problems families could face trying to have a baby. Especially after being in the NICU and seeing all of the tiny, sick babies I had to reach out to make people aware of the issues many people go through when their baby is born sick, too soon, or doesn’t make it. I will continue to support the March of Dimes so they can help fund research to help stop premature births and to someday have all babies born healthy.

Join Team Emmy Bear at Noodles & Company

Join Us!
Help Support
team emmy bear
&

at:

825 Goucher Blvd #100B
Towson, MD 21286
April 19, 2012
4:00 – 8:00 PM
25% of your dinner will go towards team Emmy Bear!
March for Babies – May 5th sign up to walk!
http://www.marchforbabies.org/

Maryland-National Capital Area Chapter
Top Walker Club ($1,000+)


$1,000 in health care costs for a family equals:
• 9 hours on a ventilator for a baby in the NICU
• Less than 12 hours in an isolette (incubator) for a sick baby
• 6 days of respiratory treatment for a premature baby to breathe more easily

$1,000 can provide the following services and supplies:
• 40 nurses with late preterm birth education
• 100 families with babies in the NICU with information & supplies to ease their fears
• 10 rocking chairs for kangaroo care in a hospital’s NICU
• One year’s supply of diapers for a Stork’s Nest location
• 10 nursing grand rounds training sessions

Tips to raise $1,000 from Top Walkers
• Utilize Online Fundraising Tool at marchforbabies.org
• Send emails to everyone in your address book
• Post badges and banners on email, facebook, blog, etc.
• Utilize social media to request donations
• Send personalized letters to those not online
• Ask everyone you know (including your hairdresser, mailman, etc.)

Top Walker Club Benefits
• Top Walker Award
• Top Walker Club Shirt
• Recognition on MD-National Capital Area website & facebook page
• Recognition in MD-National Capital Area online newsletter following March for Babies
• Recognition in division and walksite communication/materials
• Invitation and special recognition at local March for Babies Kickoff

Family Team T-shirts

Get your customized March for Babies Family Team T-shirts at great prices. Create a simple March for Babies shirt with simply your team name or design a great team logo with your child’s picture. They take 2 to 4 weeks to be delivered, so order your team shirts soon. Go to e.a. graphics.

Looking for other options to show off your team on walk day and throughout the year. Below are some other options that are available for you to customize.
o March for Babies Family Team T-shirts can be customized with your team name on the back. They come in black, purple and blue.
o March for Babies Family Team embroidered hats can be customized with your team name.
o March for Babies Family Team purple Bandanas.
o March of Dimes Family Team Sweat shirts, polo’s, jackets.
o March of Dimes Family Team Diaper Bags, Totes and sakes and more.

From Little Baby to Little Lady

At 33 weeks pregnant, my OB noticed that I wasn’t measuring any larger from my previous visit. An ultrasound confirmed that my baby had IUGR (Inter Uterine Growth Restriction). I was immediately admitted to the hospital for bed rest and a handful of daily tests. The doctors hoped Roudell would make it to 36 weeks gestational age, which she barely did. On that day’s Doppler test on the Umbilical cord they realized that Roudell was no longer going to be receiving enough of a blood flow to get enough nutrients from me to continue to survive in the womb. When they induced labor, my baby’s heart rate started to plummet every time I had a tiny little contraction, so they rushed me in for an emergency Cesarean Section. My little miracle was born, but it took a while before she whimpered a small little cry. Was I happy to hear it! It is sad for me to think that just 10 years prior the technology we had access to wasn’t available, and babies that suffered from IUGR typically were stillborn. My baby girl spent one week in the NICU as she needed some time to figure out how to eat. Leaving the hospital without her was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It took her a few months to grow into the 0-3 month-sized clothes, but she did grow and develop into the perfect, beautiful young lady she is today.

We have raised money for March for Babies from friends and family, contributed, and walked every year since the birth of our little miracle. Roudell’s birthday is in May, so usually pretty close to the walk dates, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate her birthday than to make sure other families will have the chance to celebrate the birthdays of their little miracles as well.

Fundraising with Social Media

Using social media is a great way to spread the word about your Family Team. You can use Facebook and Twitter to recruit walkers, raise money and share status updates on your progress with friends and family. You can even send out animated emails starring you or your child. These tools are a fun and great way to get your team excited about March for Babies. Check out this great video on March for Babies fundraising tips.

Badges: Log in to your account and click the “Get Custom Fundraising Badges” button. Grab a dynamic fundraising badge for your blog, website or e-mail signature. Choose from three sizes, personalize with your picture, message and fundraising goal - It's easy!

Animated e-card: Add some fun to the messages you send asking your friends to donate. Log in and click the “Send Animated E-cards” button to create your own personalized, animated e-card. The card includes a link back to your March for Babies personal page.

Facebook application: Log in to marchforbabies.org and click the button on the left side of your dashboard to get the app. You can tie your March for Babies account to your Facebook account and use our app to access a variety of sharing tools: post to your wall, post to friends, invite friends to walk with you, tweet the link to your March for Babies personal page.

Facebook: Instead of, or in addition to the Facebook app, friend “March of Dimes” and share their posts on your wall. Always enter the link to your March for Babies personal page in your status or comments. This helps your friends understand why you’re asking for their support and easily link to your page to donate.

Twitter: follow “@marchforbabies” so their tweets will show on your timeline; tweet about your fundraising or your team and ask your followers to help, always include the link to your March for Babies personal page.


LinkedIn: Login and share your participation in the status box or post team updates. Be sure to include the link to your March for Babies page. You can post to Twitter from LinkedIn too, if you’d like.

Mobile Applications: Fundraise on the go! Click on the graphic on the left side of your dashboard or go to the App Store/Marketplace to download the March for Babies iPhone or Android app; you can update your page, send e-mails and record donations anytime, anywhere.

Mobile website: We’ve optimized marchforbabies.org for smartphones so it automatically detects when you’re visiting on your smartphone and makes it easy to see on a mobile device.

UnBaby Shower Fundraiser

I have been walking in the March for Babies for the past four years. I love this organization for many reasons and have always looked for fun ways to raise money for the event. I have a lot of friends who would donate, but I didn’t want to just ask for money. I wanted to have an event where they could have fun while donating, so I came up with the UnBaby Shower.
The first time I sent the invitation out, all of my friends called to see when I was due. I assured everyone that there was in fact no baby. Some people believed me and some just wanted to come to make sure. I was recently divorced, so they were extra curious.  Once they finally believed me, I could move on to the real reason I had the shower...the other babies that aren’t born as healthy as mine were.
The UnBaby Shower is a great party because you can piggy back on the baby shower theme with promoting the March of Dimes. As I see it, it’s a natural fit. Baby showers are always fun and this one just lacks the “oohs” and “awes” from attendees when presents are opened, but we still have a good time. I have a lot of friends who own their own home businesses, and I ask them to bring their items to the shower to sell. It’s not a home show, it’s just a table where my guests can buy something they like and a portion of the sales comes back to the team. This year, I have my friend Kristen bringing her Sentsey display.
A couple of months before the event I ask a few people I know if they would be willing to donate something for the raffle. I usually get gift cards, movie tickets and other items, and I put together a gift basket and my friend with the home show will donate as well. Everyone leaves with something. If it’s not a raffle ticket, it’s a bag of Hershey kisses with a rattle lollypop. I remember when I was younger and attended parties; I always thought the best part of the whole event was the goody bag. So that is why I make sure to have something for everyone take home.
Donations are easy to ask for at an event like this because the shower puts everyone in a fun and giving mood. On the invitation I send out, I also ask that everyone bring a $10 donation. They receive a raffle ticket for their donation and for just one dollar more, they can purchase another one. All of the money we receive goes straight to our team. I don’t believe in taking money out to cover expenses – it’s just my way of donating to my team.
What is an UnBaby Shower without all of the silly games? We play shower games like bingo, what’s in the bag, baby shower lotto and the baby word game. Most of the time all we do is laugh. I always add in a little speech about March for Babies and why I walk. I talk about my miscarriage, my nephew born at 4 lbs 11 oz and about my boys who were born healthy. I try to encourage others in the group to share stories if they want, and I make sure to thank everyone for their generosity.
The UnBaby Shower is (I think) one of my best ideas. It mixes the mission of March for Babies, lots of fun, and fundraising! You can’t beat that! This event has a big impact on my team’s fundraising goals every year. I have friends who ask, “When is that baby shower is going to be? You know the one without the baby?” I’ve even expanded my team this year to five members! We’ve come a long way, and we only have more room to grow! My family team, CaseyHale Boys, will continue to be a part of the March for Babies for many years to come.
Please feel free to take the UnBaby Shower idea and use it for your fundraising. You’ll see how fun it is and how it makes fundraising so easy!

Team Callie May

After 2 ½ years trying to get pregnant and suffering two miscarriages, we were elated to make it to 13 weeks and the “safe” part of our pregnancy. I felt great and loved every second of being pregnant. At 20 weeks, we found out we were having a healthy, little girl and began announcing to the world that we would be having a baby on May 31st, 2009. Three weeks later, I woke up for work and noticed that I was spotting. A few hours later at St. Joe’s, horror struck, when my doctor told me that I was already 2 ½ cm dilated and my amniotic sac was bulging. For the next 9 days, I stayed on complete bed rest, upside down, on a constant cycle of Magnesium Sulfate doing everything humanly possible to keep my baby put. The doctors and nurses were amazing and helped me get through those agonizing days…having completely lost control of my pregnancy and terrified of what would happen when she made her entrance.

On February 13, 2009, despite everyone’s best efforts, Callie entered the world. That afternoon, I started bleeding and they realized that preterm delivery was eminent. They rushed me into the operating room and my doctor broke my water and had me begin pushing. After two pushes, Callie’s heart rate dropped and they transitioned to an immediate cesarean section. Callie was born limp and didn’t cry. We found out later that she weighed only 1lb 5 ounces and was only 11 ¾ inches long. After putting a breathing tube, they held her up to us for an instant before rushing her to the NICU.

The nurse told us that they would work on her overnight and they would bring us to see her in the morning. An hour later, they came and got us, saying that they wanted to give us a chance to see her alive and didn’t think that she would make it until morning. We were devastated, but went to her side and told her how much we loved her and how proud of her we were and asked her to fight. Fight she did. Callie spent the next 3 months in 3 different NICU’s and had four surgeries before coming home. We were told her chances of ever walking or living a normal life was slim because of the severity of her brain bleed. Our little fighter showed the world statistics didn’t matter.

Callie is now a healthy 3 year old and is keeping up with the other kids her age, continuing to exceed everyone’s expectations.
After Callie came home from the NICU, Lee and I decided we needed to find a way to give back and started actively supporting the March of Dimes. Callie received such amazing medical care during her time in the NICU, a lot of which was available through research supported by the March of Dimes. But a lot of research still needs to be done. I had great prenatal care and still had a premature baby. We want to do our part to make sure that this research continues so that all babies can be born healthy and not have to suffer and fight the way our Callie had to.
March of Dimes means hope. It means hope that one day all babies can be born healthy. Hope that these innocent babies will not have to struggle as hard to meet milestones. Hope that Mother’s won’t have to watch their babies struggle for life. It is hope for the future.

Join the Family Team Kickoff Conference Call

Join the Family Team Kickoff Conference call.

Thursday March 15th at 8pm
712-775-7100 and the access code: 470884.

The Family Team Kickoff is a great opportunity to hear what other Family Teams in the chapter are doing with March for Babies. Family Teams will have an opportunity to share there success stories on how they are building successful Family Teams.
Get information about the day of the walk. What to wear? Will there be food? What kid activities will be there? What will we need to bring?
There will be an opportunity to ask questions to other family teams and March of Dimes staff members. Please join us as we kick off the 2012 season!
Call in to 712-775-7100 and enter the access code 470884

Meet Gavin Rudd

Gavin was born after a very complicated pregnancy on October 6, 2010 weighing 3lbs 5 oz. His arrival was 6 weeks before his due date via emergency C-section. His mother, Heather, only got to see his tiny face for a second before he was transported to the NICU at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. His father, Jason was at his side while his mother anxiously waited in the recovery room for an update. Gavin was two hours old before she would be able to really see him for the first time and he was over fourteen hours old before she would hold him for the first time.
For 18 days Gavin was in the NICU, he learned how to breath all on his on, maintain his temperature, and to eat all by himself. Gavin was discharge from the NICU 3 weeks before his original due date. His parents thank the March of Dimes and the wonderful NICU staff at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, for helping Gavin, who is now a very happy, healthy, and very active toddler.

As 2012 Eastern Shore Ambassador Family, The Rudd’s will help raise awareness of premature birth and encourage residents and companies to participate in March for Babies.

Setting up your March for Babies Online Fundraising Team Page!

Did you know that Online Fundraising (OFT) is the easiest and best way to raise money? Family Teams that are the most successfully use the OFT program. To get the most out of your OFT page make sure you have a photo and updated story on your team page, as well as, your personal page. Your friends and family will be excited to get an update on your family and will be more likely to donate to your Family Team. Check out the Quick Guide to online Fundraising for helpful hints.

There are many fundraising tools you can use to help spread the word. Many families raise money through their Facebook page by using the March for Babies Facebook application. There is a March for Babies badge you can put on your blog, Facebook and your e-mail signature that shows your goal bar with a link to your team page. There is even a fun animated e-mail that you can personalize with a picture and send to your friends and family. This is a great way for your friends and family to have better access to your team. Check out the Family Team March for Babies page for all kinds of helpful tools just for Family Teams.

Check out this video about how to set up your online fundraising page!

Join us for Maryland Lobby Day – Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Lobby Day will begin at 8 a.m. with a formal program and conclude with legislative visits. It will be an opportunity for staff and volunteers to speak with elected officials about issues of importance to the March of Dimes. Invitations are being sent to the membership (and staff) of the House and Senate committees that consider bills of interest to the chapter.
The preliminary Lobby Day agenda is as follows:
• Welcome
• Medical Speaker
• Family’s Perspective
• Bills of Interest to the March of Dimes
• Call to Action

We hope that you will stay following the formal program to visit with your legislators. These visits should be arranged as soon as possible. If you need assistance in identifying who your elected officials are, please click on the following link http://mdelect.net/ and type in your home address. Your elected officials will be listed on the left side of the page. Legislative directories will be on-hand at the event. We will do our best to partner you with other volunteers/staff so that you are not alone on these visits.
Room 180
Lowe Housing Office Building
6 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
Legislative staff are welcome!
Questions or RSVP:
Anne V. Eder, 410-752-8073 or aeder@marchofdimes.com

Charpentier Family

At 29 ½ weeks pregnant, I was admitted to The Birthing Inn at Inova Loudoun Hospital for what I thought was severe indigestion. It turned out that I had severe preeclampsia and a condition known as HELLP Syndrome. I was hooked up to IV’s, monitors and given a steroid injection, (surfactant), to help mature my unborn son’s lungs. I started improving, but not enough to be sent home, I spent the next 4 days on bed rest, listening to women give birth to their healthy babies. By Day 4 it became clear that I wasn’t going to get any better, and on the morning of Day 5 (May 16, 2007), Martin Alexander was born via emergency C-section at 30 weeks gestation. So much for my natural childbirth plan! It was all so scary – even though he let out a cry and began to breathe on his own, he was very underweight. He spent the next 3.5 weeks in the NICU gaining weight and learning to eat from a bottle. He came home in early June weighing only 3 lbs. 6oz. and aside from a double-inguinal hernia (that was repaired several months later), he has grown up to be a healthy, happy and very energetic little boy! Alex turns 5 years-old this May and we’re thankful for every day we have with him and his little sister, Gabriela, who was born full term in 2010.

Eastern Shore March for Babies Kickoff Dates!

Join us for a Celebration Luncheon and 2011 March for Babies Recognition

• Salisbury – Wednesday, February 15th - 12 noon – 1:30 pm at the Salisbury Moose Family Center

• Midshore/Federalsburg – Wednesday, February 29th – 12 noon – 1:30 pm at Union United Methodist Church in Federalsburg, MD

• Assateague – Thursday, March 8th – 12 noon – 1:30 pm at Seacret’s in Ocean City, MD

Contact Name and Email: Nicole Scharf at nscharf@marchofdimes.com or Wendy Jarrett at wjarrett@marchofdimes.com

You’re invited to attend the March of Dimes March for Babies Kickoff Celebration on Thursday, February 23rd at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Join 2012 Washington, D.C. Chair Brian Carlton, Regional Managing Partner of Dixon Hughes Goodman; Fairfax County Chair Jeff Kovach, Managing Director of Beacon Capital Partners; Jeff Johnson of Booz Allen Hamilton; St. Mary’s County Chair Jo Ann Gelrud and Charles County Chair Craig Renner of The St. Charles Companies at the Kickoff Celebration.

The Kickoff Celebration is an opportunity to learn more about the March of Dimes signature fundraising event, March for Babies. We hope that you can attend to meet other team captains, hear motivating stories and learn more about the mission of the March of Dimes and our impact in the community.

When: Thursday, February 23nd
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Please RSVP no later than Monday, February 13th to Nicole Johnson at 571-257-2314 or njohnson@marchofdimes.com

March for Babies Ice Skating and Carriage Ride Fundraiser

Ice Skating

Monday, February 27 - Thursday, March 1, Reston Town Center Ice Skating Pavilion
$10 admission (includes skate rental) with proceeds benefitting March for Babies during regular skate hours! Hot chocolate, snacks, photos on the Zamboni, DJ, games and prizes Monday & Tuesday 5 - 7 pm; Wednesday & Thursday 6 - 10 pm.

Carriage Ride

Saturday, February 11 - Reston Town Center
Fifteen minutes Carriage Rids with proceeds benefitting March for Babies. Cost is $5 per person; children under five ride free. No more the six persons (4 adults and 2 children or 2 adults and 4 children) at a time.
Carriage rides are open between 6 pm and 10 pm. Get there early to get your reservations for a romantic or family fun carriage ride through Reston Town Center.
Also, sign up for the Reston Town Center walk on Sunday, May 6 at marchforbabies.org!

Harford County March for Babies Kick Off Celebration

Join us for the 2012 March for Babies Kick Off Celebration, Wednesday, February 15th at MaGerk’s Pub in Bel Air. The annual event is an opportunity to learn more about the March of Dimes signature fundraising event, March for Babies. We hope that you can attend to meet other team captains, hear motivating stories and learn more about the mission of the March of Dimes and our impact in the community. Team captains will have the opportunity to pick up any fundraising materials they will need for their campaign.

Preemies Today Receives a March of Dimes Grant

The March of Dimes Maryland-National Capital Area Chapter has awarded a grant to Preemies Today to support Education to Reduce the Risk of Preterm Births for NICU Parents, that is aimed at underserved maternal and child health needs in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas. This project will create a culturally sensitive video that demonstrates methods families can use to decrease their risk for a subsequent preterm birth and improve health and development outcomes of their post-NICU graduate babies. It is known that mothers who delivery prematurely are at greater risk for subsequent premature births and children born prematurely are at higher risk for developmental delays.

"We will use this grant as seed money to meet our objective of providing mothers and babies with risk reduction education," said Mary Beth Hazelgrove, Executive Director of Preemies Today. "We are grateful to those volunteers who support the March of Dimes by participation in events like March for Babies and who donate in other ways. That participation and those donations make this grant possible," she said.

Preemies Today is a volunteer-based organization whose mission is to advocate for families experiencing the traumatic event of a premature birth. Founded in 2003, Preemies Today provides parent-to-parent support, educational lectures, NICU baby showers, NICU Care bags, and social opportunities for families affected by prematurity. For more information, visit the Preemies Today website at PreemiesToday.org.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature births and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes or its Spanish language website at nacersano.org.

Meet the Raak’s

When we found out we were pregnant with our second son, Henry, we assumed we would have the same experience we had with our oldest son, Oliver. Unfortunately at 24 weeks we went into pre-term labor. Thankfully, in a joint effort between Virginia Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital, the doctors and nurses were able to stop the contractions and we were able to hold off for two more weeks.

We did our best to prepare our family for the difficult time ahead. The information and support from the March of Dimes came as a welcome surprise to us. We knew we could rely on the March of Dimes website to read other parents’ postings and find comfort in knowing we were not alone and that there was such a great support system already in place for our family. In fact, the realization that pre- term labor is so common--more than half a million babies are born too soon each year--made us realize how lucky we were to have such an easy pregnancy with Oliver.

Henry was born at 26 weeks and was in the hospital for three months. Those months were a roller coaster: good news then bad news, progress then setbacks. But throughout the whole process we were able to take advantage of the support meetings and events the March of Dimes sponsored where we were free to open up and talk to medical staff and especially other NICU families about our experiences.

Henry just turned 1 and he is a healthy and happy baby boy with a bright future ahead of him. Our hope in sharing our story is to make others aware of all that March of Dimes has done and will do in the future for babies and their families and most importantly- the realization that babies born too soon is more common than we think. Spread the word! It’s so important to continue the funding of programs and research geared at giving each baby a healthy life.