Posting Personal Stories of Birth Brings Families Together March of Dimes "Mothers March" Goes Virtual
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., JULY 16, 2002—Families who volunteer for March of Dimes Mothers March can now share their dramatic and personal birth stories online at www.mothersmarch.com, as well as raise funds to help save babies' lives, it was announced today.
Begun in the 1950s as a door-to-door fund-raising campaign, March of Dimes Mothers March fund raiser has gone digital, adding the Internet as a fund-raising tool. The benefit to participating families is that they can tell their personal stories online and ask friends and neighbors to donate with just a click of the mouse.
“To be able to reach my friends and family, as well as help others by sharing my child’s personal struggle is a blessing and relief," said Justine Hoo, Mothers March volunteer and mother of Cameron, who was born six weeks too soon. Cameron’s father, Christopher Hoo, added, "Hopefully, this new Web-based function will help the fund-raising efforts of the March of Dimes and save thousands of newborns from life-long disabilities or even death.”
“We are extremely excited by this technological advance, enabling families to share their very personal and emotional stories with thousands of other families," said Kimberly Haywood, director of Mothers March. "This is one way Americans can easily follow President Bush’s directive to volunteer in their communities."
"From a porch-light appeal to fight polio in the 50s, to a neighborhood letter writing campaign in the 70s, 80s and 90s to prevent birth defects and infant mortality, Mothers March has truly evolved with this next move onto the Internet," she added.
Mothers March, the March of Dimes oldest fundraising event, began in 1950 when polio, a crippling disease that struck children without warning, reached epidemic proportions and plagued the nation. With the elimination of polio as a national threat, the March of Dimes redirected its efforts to prevent birth defects and improve infant mortality. Today, more than one million Mothers March volunteers write letters, both online and through the U.S. mail, to reach every community across the country to raise funds and distribute information on having a healthy baby. In 2001, nearly $23 million was raised by this historic fundraising campaign.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com, its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org, or call 1-888-MODIMES.
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