Fashion Island was packed with strollers, families and teams as more than 6,000 people turned out last weekend for the March for Babies, raising more than $650,000 to help the March of Dimes’ efforts to ensure that babies are born healthy.
“This has been an outstanding event that has raised important funds and created essential awareness,” said 2011 March for Babies Chair Kim Cripe, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital of Orange. “Today, the Orange County community demonstrated their commitment to our highest priority – saving our babies.”
“This has been a memorable, rewarding day,” Jennifer Burrell, who along with family members served as the 2011 Orange County Ambassador Family, “When our son Charlie was born premature, we decided to do everything we could to make sure that other families don’t go through what we did, and we were honored to be able to support the March of Dimes today in return for all the support they’ve given us.”
Money raised by the March for Babies event funds research, awareness, education and local community grants to support baby health nationally and locally. In 2009, 40,431 babies were born in Orange County; 9.4%, or 3,801, were preterm births. Approximately 2,670 were born with low birth weight; 4,501 had mothers with late or no prenatal care; and approximately 1,225 had some type of birth defect. March of Dimes seeks to help these and all babies born.
