Thank you!

The countdown is over!  March for Babies was Saturday and we can't say thank you enough!

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather and had a great time at March for Babies.  Here are some highlights from the walk:

Heather Hays from Fox 4 emceed the Opening Ceremony

Dr. Stephen Mansfield, President/CEO of Methodist Health System and March for Babies Chairman commenced the walk

Former American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, walked along with thousands of other March of Dimes supporters
Our 4 t-shirt winners were announced: Parkland Hospital, Balfour Beatty, Pediatrix Medical Group, and Tru's Crew (Family Team)
The Path of Hope lined the route, remembering over 100 babies born prematurely
Our Family Teams tent was filled to the brim-- the kids enjoyed face painting, bubbles, and playing with the clown
Our corporate teams' tents were jammin'... Lots of music, food, and fun!
NASCAR driver, Denny Hamlin's FedEx car was there (and was designed by the Aaron's kids-- one of our awesome family teams)

It was an amazing day for our corporate and family teams!  We walk so that one day all babies will born healthy... and we couldn't do it without you all. 

Twitter and Facebook

To keep up with the Dallas & Fort Worth Divisions of March of Dimes, check out our new Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Be sure to "like" our Facebook and "follow" our Twitter to stay up-to-date with all of our events and info!

Facebook: Search for March of Dimes, Dallas & Fort Worth Divisions (click here)

Twitter: Search for @MOD_DFW (click here)

Park Map

Thanks to everyone who submitted designs for our t-shirt contest!  We can't wait to announce the winners on Saturday at the March for Babies opening ceremony!

Please note that the Park Map has been added to the March for Babies Materials (right-hand side of the blog).  There you will find where all of the tents will be set up and how the park will be laid out.

Remember the opening ceremony starts at 8:45 AM and the walk starts at 9:00 AM this Saturday, April 16th at Norbuck Park-White Rock Lake.  Check out the Parking Information document to figure out the best way for you and your team to get to the park.

Texting can help babies!

Make your next text really count. Text “Baby” to 20222 and a $5 donation will be added to your phone bill. Your contribution helps March of Dimes fund research, help families and educate moms so that all babies get a healthy start. Again, that’s text “B-A-B-Y” to 20222.

Corporate Spotlight #5

With less than two weeks until the big day, we are thrilled to present this week's Corporate Spotlight on Winstead, our newest corporate sponsor!

This law firm has participated in Dallas' March for Babies for four years now and we are excited to have them on Baby Boulevard this year. Winstead is among the largest business law firms in the state of Texas and they have offices located in eight U.S. cities.

Some of the industries they serve are: Alternative Energy, Biotechnology, Construction, Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, Insurance, Nanotechnology, Real Estate, Sports Business & Public Venues, and Technology.

Thank you, Winstead, for partnering with the March of Dimes and we look forward to seeing you on Baby Boulevard on April 16!

Family Teams

Our Family Teams Give Back in So Many Ways!

The Aron’s have been a Family Team in March for Babies since 2005. They were inspired to give back when their twin sons, Jake and Josh, were born prematurely at 1lb 2 oz each. In the many years they have been a part of March for Babies, they have raised over $40,000 for the March of Dimes!

Jake and Josh are doing great and are healthy and happy 9 year olds!  The twins' older brother, Zac, has been inspired by his very giving family to create a charity of his own. While his family has raised money for years to ease the suffering of babies in the NICU, Zac is working to help ease the suffering of teens that also find themselves in the hospital.

Jaime Aron explains below how you can be a part of such a special way to give back:

"Would you like to help make a long hospital stay a little less boring for a sick teen? All it takes is gathering up the old iPods or any other electronics laying around your home. Our 13 year old has started an organization called "Tunes for Sick Teens", to turn your old gizmos into a new iPod Touch for a sick, needy teenager. We've already given away three, and hope to help many more! For details about our group, check out http://www.tunesforsickteens.com/ ; for more details on the trade-in program, check out www.TunesForSickTeens.com/howtohelp.aspx"

Let's help this young man make a difference in so many people's lives!

Coming up...

Does your team have an awesome t-shirt that you are all wearing to March for Babies??  Then send in your t-shirt design to our office by April 8th!  Whether it is funny, colorful, sweet, we want to see them!  We will be announcing the t-shirt design winners at the March for Babies opening ceremony.

Last year's winners include:

Garland ISD

Balfour Beatty

Atlas Copco

Also, remember that your Tent Placement Form is due April 7th to secure your team's tent a spot at Norbuck Park.  We will be distributing the Park Map shortly after that date.

Check it out!

Please check out the right-hand side of the blog where all of the Important Documents are listed for March for Babies!  Parking information has been posted as well as the Route Map for the day of the walk.

Also, remember Cars and Coffee at Classic BMW is coming up this Saturday, April 2nd!

Corporate Spotlight #4

A brand-new March for Babies team, Interceramic Tile, is our Corporate Spotlight for the week!

They are only part-way through their March for Babies campaign and have already had some very successful fundraisers such as:

Valentine's Day baked goods and rose sale

Easter Egg Raffle (eggs were sold with raffle tickets inside and the winner received 4 midcourt seats to a Dallas Mavericks game!)

Granite sale (leftover granite pieces were sold and proceeds benefitted their campign)

Recycled scrap metal

This creative team has already raised over $10,000 for March for Babies!  Thank you, Interceramic Tile, for your passion and dedication... We can't thank you enough!

 Fun fact about March of Dimes:

Did you know that the March for Babies wasn't always a short 5-mile walk?  One of Interceramic Tile's security guards, Gene, actually walked in 1972 when it was 35 miles long!  He walked with four friends in New York and it took them 12 hours with full marine packs on!  Here's a picture of his medal:

Thank you, Gene, for sharing this with us and thank you for your support!

March for Babies App

March for Babies made simple. Right from your iPhone.

The March for Babies app let’s you take your fundraising with you. Just sign up at marchforbabies.org, then use the app for all your fundraising activities. Tap your way to your best campaign yet. Thank you for walking with us for stronger, healthier babies!
Easy to use:
· Set your fundraising goal
· Update your picture and story
· Check out your teammates’ pages
· Ask for donations

· Send follow-ups

· Share your progress
· Say thanks to your donors
· See up-to-the-minute online donations

· Add cash and check donations

· View event details and directions

· Get the latest info on March for Babies

The March for Babies app communicates with your March for Babies account; changes you make here will be reflected on your March for Babies fundraising page and vice versa.

Find news and information at:

marchforbabies.org

facebook.com/marchofdimes

twitter.com/marchofdimes

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Corporate Spotlight #3

This week the spotlight is on Pediatrix Medical Group!



Since their energetic campaign kickoff last Tuesday, Pediatrix has raised $590 towards their March for Babies goal!  They have 26 walkers registered and are ready to rock 'n roll with their great fundraisers that are planned for the campaign: hot dog lunch sale for their building and Easter beanie babies sale to name a few.

Thank you, Pediatrix, for all of your hard work!

Cars & Coffee



Benefitting:

Saturday, April 2 -- 8 a.m. to Noon

Classic BMW

6800 Dallas Parkway

Plano, TX 75024

(214) 778-2600

Cars and Coffee Dallas is a gathering of car enthusiasts where hundreds of proud drivers will congregate to kick tires and have a cup of coffee to benefit March of Dimes March for Babies.

There will be something for everyone to enjoy; classics, exotics, concepts, hotrods, motorcycle and motor sports. And it is all free, minus the coffee of course.

http://dallas.carsandcoffee.info/



NICU Experience

The following video was made by one of our very own Dallas March for Babies walkers!  Linda documents her family's happiness and heartache through this very touching video to remember her daughters' first moments of life.

Stories like Linda's are all around us.  We, at the March of Dimes, would love to hear more about your story.  Please leave a comment on the blog, email a March of Dimes representative, or join shareyourstory.org to hear from other families who have been through the same experience.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Important documents & Webinars

The Route Map and Preferred Vendors List have been posted under March for Babies Materials (right-hand side of the blog).  Please be sure to check those documents out!  Having a tent at March for Babies is a great way for companies to celebrate their accomplishments and have a fun morning together!  Many companies like to offer a catered lunch to their walkers as well, so we have compiled a Preferred Vendors List with caterers and tent vendors for your use.  Please note that if you would like to have a tent at the walk, the Tent Placement Form is due April 8th!

 

March of Dimes is offering two types of Webinars for Team Captains-- new and returning--starting March 7th.  We hope this helps you understand how to use the Online Fundraising Tool and how it can help your team!

OFT: New Team Captains Webinar

In this webinar we'll cover:

Talking with your teams about OFT; logging in as the admin; communicating with your team; team pages vs. personal pages; team captain (online admin) dashboard vs. personal dashboard; online admin team report.

March 8th 2011 2-3 PM Click To Register

March 10th 2011 1-2 PM Click To Register

OFT: Refresher for Returning Team Captains

In this webinar we'll cover:

Talking with your teams about OFT; team pages vs. personal pages; team captain (online admin) dashboard vs. personal dashboard; online admin team report.

March 7th 2011 11 AM-12 PM Click to Register

March 9th 2011 10-11 AM Click To Register

March 11th 2011 2-3 PM Click To Register

Corporate Spotlight #2

We are 6 weeks away from March for Babies 2011!

This week the Corporate Spotlight is on:

 Ernst & Young, Haynes & Boone and Plains Capital

These three companies office out of Victory Park in Downtown Dallas and are joining forces to kickoff their March for Babies campaign!  The kickoff will take place March 8th at Victory Park where they will start registering walkers for their teams, selling Blue Jeans for Babies stickers, and they will be spotlighting our Ambassador family, the Cabanisses.  What a great way to kickoff their campaign-- I'm sure there will be lots of energy and excitement!

Thank you for you dedication to the March of Dimes mission.  We look forward to hearing how the kickoff goes!

Congratulations!

Stephanie Musgrove, a member of the Dallas Team Ryane, Carson and Carter, won two round trip United Airlines tickets by raising $50 through the Online Fundraising Tool!

Here's a little more information about the March of Dimes incentives program...

In raising as little as $200, you can reach the first incentive level and receive a March for Babies t-shirt. Keep fundraising, and you’ll find yourself with a Macy’s gift card!

Raise $200, get a T-shirt

Raise $350, get a T-shirt and $15 gift card*
Raise $500, get a T-shirt and $25 gift card*

Raise $1,000, get a T-shirt and $50 gift card*

Raise $2,500, get a T-shirt and $125 gift card*

Raise $5,000, get a T-shirt and $250 gift card*

Raise $10,000, get a T-shirt and $500 gift card*

Raise $20,000, get a T-shirt and $600 gift card*

*Macy's gift card

While your real reward is knowing that you’re helping babies, these incentives are our way to say thank you for your efforts.  There’s another opportunity to win airline tickets through United Airlines as well.  

Register to walk for March for Babies 2011 at www.marchforbabies.org , and you could win a set of two round trip tickets to fly to any destination served by United Airlines in the 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. 

As a registered walker, you are eligible to be entered in the drawing if any of the following benchmarks are met:

Raise $50 online or more by February 15, 2011
Raise $100 online or more by February 28, 2011

Raise $200 online or more by March 31, 2011

Raise $300 online or more by April 30, 2011,

Raise $1,000 in online, offline and matching donations by May 31, 2011

Congratulations, Stephanie, and good luck to all of our walkers in Dallas!

Corporate Team Spotlight

This week the spotlight is on Citi!

They have already had multiple employees sign up on the Online Fundraising Tool (OFT) website and have raised over $700!!

Citi had their internal kickoff on February 17th at Lincoln Park and it was a huge success. They also have a great fundraising event coming up for St. Patrick's Day including a putt putt contest, benefiting their March for Babies campaign.

Since St. Patrick's Day is less than a month away, this would be a great time to think of a fundraising event like Citi did. Maybe you can sell green flowers to your employees or customers, put on a March Madness event, have an office lunch for $5-10... The Fundraising Ideas packet contains a lot more ideas that you can use in your workplace.

 

Please post other fundraising ideas that teams can use for St. Patrick's Day. We'd love to hear what your company is going to do!

Great job, Citi! Thanks for all of your hard work!

It's the little things...

Some easy things you can do to help you reach your March for Babies goal:

Visit this March of Dimes website to spread the word by making a badge for your email or even a blog or other website. You can also add a Facebook application where all of your world-wide friends can see your goal and help you reach it.

Be creative & have fun with your campaign!

Online Fundraising

Online fundraising is an AMAZING tool that all teams can utilize. We have two links posted on the right-hand side of the blog that give more detail about how to start a team on OFT and how to manage it.

Using OFT, you can send e-mails to all of your friends, family and co-workers in a few short minutes. You can also track your donations online, see how close you are to your goal, and you can even send a thank you email to those who have donated.

Every team has an Online Administrator who has access to the team's page--- that person can change the photo, add a personal story, make the team's goal, and monitor the team's progress. Be sure to utilize that page and tell your team's story!

If you have any questions, please refer to the links titled "OFT Guide" and "Registration and OFT Instructions " or contact your March of Dimes representative.

Path of Hope

Order your 2011 March for Babies Path of Hope sign today!!

To help increase mission awareness on March for Babies day, a series of storyboards will be created and displayed along the 5K route. Each storyboard will tell the journey of a premature baby and their family.

Please go online to: www.marchforbabies.org/pathofhopedallas and make a minimum donation of $20 to have your own Path of Hope sign created and displayed at March for Babies. You will then be directed to send a picture and details of your child/children to: lbailey@marchofdimes.com. The deadline to sign up is March 1st.

This is a very specal part of March for Babies and truly allows participants to see the reason they walk and raise funds. So that one day EVERY baby can be born healthy!

2011 Forms and Documents

Hello to all of our wonderful team captains! We are very excited about the 2011 March for Babies and can't wait to see all of you on April 16th! There are links on the right-hand side of this blog that contain important forms & documents that you might need to start your team's campaign. We will add more documents once the walk gets closer so check back for updates or become a "Follower" of the blog. When you click on a link of the document you want, you will be taken to another website where you will click "Click here to start download."

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the March of Dimes. We appreciate all of you!