Every dollar raised here brings back 2
The group that funds research and education aimed at healthy babies is re-doing its major fundraiser, including changing its time.
March of Dimes' Syracuse March for Babies is now a fall event, scheduled for October 24th at Long Branch Park.
Tyler Cagwin, on the group's board, says its becaus there's more energy, and more potential walkers--including unversity students--at this time of year. However, he says, the goal has not changed: to fundraise to support efforts at lowering prematurity and low birthweight births, and increasing the number of babies born healthy.
March of Dimes supports 46 research at NY institutions, including at SUNY Upstate and at Syracuse University, and also does education programs for women at risk of delivering low birthweight or otherwise at-risk babies, including teen mothers and mothers who do not get adequate prenatal care. Cagwin says that for every dollar raised here, $2 come back for local programs.
Here's an example of the problem: Onondaga County on average, has 5482 babies born annually. Of that number, on average:
>712 are born preterm
>455 will be born low birthweight
>40 (7 tenths of a percent) will die
The real concern is that children born 'unhealthy' will require services, special education and more expensive care through their lives, often at taxpayer expense.
Signups for the Syracuse area walk are underway now, as is the March of Dimes pledge campaign. Walks in the Oswego, Ithaca and Utica/Rome areas will stay on the spring calendar.
