MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Empire State Building Lights Pink+Blue for Prematurity Awareness Month
The Empire State Building will be lit pink+blue in recognition of the start of Prematurity Awareness Month in New York City, and as a symbol of hope for all those affected by the growing crisis of premature birth.
WHEN: Thursday, November 1st, 2007
At Sunset
WHY: Last year, over half a million babies in the United States were born too soon. Premature birth is the #1 killer of newborns in the first month of life. The emotional cost to families is enormous and the cost to society is over $26 billion a year. In an effort to raise awareness of this growing health crisis, November is declared National Prematurity Awareness Month. For more information on activities in the metro area, go to www.marchofdimes.com/ny
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education and advocacy, and in 2003 launched a campaign to raise awareness and find the causes of premature birth. For more information, go to the March of Dimes national web site at www.marchofdimes.com or to its Spanish language web site at www.nacersano.org.
Contact:
Ruby Wint - 212.353.8365 rwint@marchofdimes.com
Christina Iannuzzi - 212.353.8354 ciannuzzi@marchofdimes.com
