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Deborah Norville and Other Celebrities Gather to Kick Off 50th Anniversary of "Mothers March"
NEW YORK, OCT. 17, 2000 -- Inside Edition's Emmy-winning news anchor Deborah Norville and co-chairs Claudia Cohen and Kimberly Rockefeller hosted a star-studded March of Dimes luncheon today in honor of the 50th anniversary of the organization's "Mothers March," attended by former "Mothers" Morgan Brittany, Jean Chatzky, Elinor Donahue, Eileen Fulton, Susan Howard, and Mary Ann Mobley Collins and husband Gary Collins, as well as by celebrities such as Star Jones, Patty Hearst, Perri Peltz, Blaine Trump, Ivana Trump, and Dana Tyler.
The crowd of notables dined on lemon and pepper crusted salmon or vol-au-vont with sauteed seasonal vegetables in the ballroom of the landmark Stanhope Hotel as Ms. Norville was introduced as the new Honorary Spokesperson for the Mother's March, joining a long list of famous women and men, including Grace Kelly, Jane Wyatt, Helen Hayes, Humphrey Bogart, and Tyrone Power, who served in the same post in years past.
"I remember back, in fact, to those January nights when my mother would take me door-to-door in the Mothers March, collecting funds to fight polio," Deborah recalled. "As the mother today of two healthy sons and a healthy daughter, I realize how blessed I am -- and how much helping to give babies a fighting chance means to me."
The Mothers March, the March of Dimes' oldest fundraising event, began in 1950 when epidemics of polio, a crippling disease that struck children without warning, plagued the nation. The event was started by concerned parents in Phoenix, Arizona, as a door-to-door appeal. "Turn on your porch light – Fight polio tonight!" was the slogan they used for weeks ahead to urge their friends and neighbors to participate. On the night of the first march, the thousands of volunteers collected more than $45,000 in just under an hour.
Today, 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. The Mothers March has evolved into a massive online and letter-writing campaign. This January, more than one million Mothers March volunteers will reach into every community across the United States to raise funds and distribute information on having a healthy baby. In 1999, $23 million was raised by this historic fundraising campaign.
Ms. Norville also announced today new national data showing that the number of American women of childbearing age lacking health insurance has not significantly improved since 1998, with nearly 12 million women -- or one in five -- uninsured. The new data was commissioned by the March of Dimes from the U.S. Census Bureau.
A red, black, and white striped "Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" goody tote bag was distributed to all the guests. It included a copy of Deborah Norville's book for children, I Don't Want to Sleep Tonight, as well as a gift certificate from the OshKosh B'Gosh web site, a Balance Bar, Serendipity's Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Mix, a handmade cookie with the March of Dimes logo from Sweet Art Pastry, and Q-tip cotton swabs.
The luncheon was sponsored by KingWorld Productions, OshKosh B'Gosh, Golden Books, and Tiffany & Co.
To learn more about the Mothers March and ways you can get involved like Deborah Norville did, visit the March of Dimes web site at www.marchofdimes.com, or Deborah's own website, www.dnorville.com.
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