March of Dimes
Every day 1 in 8 babies born in the U.S.
arrives too soon. Premature birth can happen to
any pregnant woman, and no one knows why. It is a
serious, common and costly problem. Key Club
members are helping by raising thousands of
dollars annually for the
March of Dimes Youth Program to help prevent
prematurity.
The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by US
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to help fight
polio. Within only 12 years, the March of Dimes
had amassed more than $1 million in funds that
helped researchers identify all three polio
viruses. In 1954, the March of Dimes ran field
trials of the polio vaccine with more than 1.8
million school children participating and the
vaccine was deemed effective.
Key Club International began partnering with the
March of Dimes in the 1960s by holding dances,
carwashes, and bake sales to raise funds to
further research in the medical field to help
reduce birth defects. Key Club members around the
world remember collecting dimes in hopes that
someday children would be born free of birth
defects. Today, Key Club members still collect
change to support the March of Dimes; read on for
how YOU can get involved!
The March of Dimes currently focuses on two major
goals in their Prematurity Campaign:
- Raising awareness of prematurity
- Reducing the rate of premature births
Learn more about the
March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign.
How can you get
involved?
Key Club is proud to partner with the March of
Dimes as we join together to give every baby a
healthy start!
March for Babies is the March of Dimes largest
fundraiser and typically takes place in late
April. Visit
www.marchofdimes.com to sign up online and
find the date and location in your area. On the
site, you can register as a new or returning
walker. Make sure you register as a Key Club team!
If you have any questions, contact your local
March of Dimes chapter. Find your local chapter by
clicking "find a march" in the purple bar and
entering your ZIP code in the box under the map.
Fundraising
Include March of Dimes materials and coin
collections at your District Convention, rallies,
& meetings! Host Dance auctions, mini
walk-a-thons, and lock-ins! Compete amongst your
classrooms, your Key Clubs, and even your
districts! Contact your local March of Dimes
chapter to get fundraising resources. Visit
www.marchofdimes.com to locate your local
chapter.
March of Dimes
Teen-2-Teen health education series
features teens talking to each other about the
March of Dimes mission and how knowledge,
attitudes, behaviors and involvement can promote
health now and increase the chance that future
babies will be born healthy. On the
March of Dimes Youth Program Web site you can:
Your club can use these materials for a
community service project with your peers or
middle school students. Contact your local March
of Dimes for support! Together we can make a
difference. Together we can ensure that babies are
born healthy. Together we can reach out around the
world and know that we are ensuring a safe
tomorrow for children everywhere.
