ATLANTA, GA – September 11, 2007 – There’s a new way to celebrate the babies in our lives.  The March of Dimes is bringing together friends and families—both in person and online—to honor all babies, those born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive.  

Every Baby Has a Story is a campaign launched in anticipation of March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness Month® in November.  An online video contest, story sharing website and national bus tour all share the theme of uniting families to tell stories of the babies in their lives and ultimately raise awareness of the ways to help every baby have a healthy start.  

In Georgia, premature birth is the #1 killer of newborns.  Currently, 340 babies are born prematurely each week.  With the national rate rising 30% in the last 20 years, premature birth is a serious and costly problem. 

“The March of Dimes supports all babies-those who were born healthy, those who were lost and those whose lives hang in the balance,” said Mark Gibson, state director for the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter.  “Together, we can raise awareness of premature birth and help give every baby a healthy start.” 

Every Baby Has a Story activities and events include the following:

• Nationwide Video/PSA Contest – Launched in late July, this video contest invites participants to create a 60-second public service ad aimed to help raise awareness of issues like premature birth or bring attention to the need for health care coverage for women and babies.  All video entries are submitted on YouTube, and five finalists will be posted on the March of Dimes website for public voting during Prematurity Awareness Month in November.  The winner, announced in December, will receive $5,000 and the possibility of having their work selected as the March of Dimes PSA to be aired on nationwide TV in 2008.    Information and rules can be found at www.marchofdimes.com/videocontest. The deadline to submit a video is September 28, 2007.

• Story Map – The Story Map enables people to connect with www.marchofdimes.com/everybaby and share stories about the babies in their lives with others throughout the country and in their communities.  With the help of Google Map, these stories are searchable by location and placed on an interactive map, which also showcases March of Dimes and Prematurity Awareness Month events by zip code. 

• Photo Mosaic – The Photo Mosaic at www.marchofdimes.com/everybaby offers an enhanced opportunity to share a story in exchange for a contribution.  Purchasing a square in the mosaic allows the donor to display pictures, videos and text.  Visitors to these story pages can make donations to the March of Dimes on behalf of the baby or family. In addition, widgets can be placed on other sites, such as MySpace, to connect the story page with even more people throughout other networks.   

• Every Baby Has a Story National Bus Tour – Starting at the March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. on October 18th, a bus will travel across the country gathering stories, raising awareness about premature birth and uniting communities along the way.  The bus will visit Atlanta on October 21 and 22 at Lenox Square encouraging moms to share their babies’ stories. For more information click here. The Every Baby Bus will feature kiosks with computers and web cams where families can videotape themselves or enter text of their story as well as a play area for children and an information center with information on March of Dimes. 

• Prematurity Awareness Month – Every November, The March of Dimes Georgia Chapter puts together a variety of activities and local events to raise awareness for this important cause.  In Atlanta, the AT&T building downtown will be lit in pink and blue all month.  Many companies throughout the state will participate in a program called Blue Jeans for Babies, encouraging employees to make a donation entitling them to trade in their suits or uniforms for their favorite pair of jeans on a designated day.  

In addition, Barnes & Noble in Buckhead (2900 Peachtree Road) has chosen the March of Dimes Georgia chapter as the recipient of its annual holiday book drive.  The store will collect books and money throughout November and December to donate to the chapter.

The March of Dimes continues to lead the fight against the more than half a million premature births that occur in this country every year as well as other serious threats to infant health.  For more information on Prematurity Awareness Month and the Every Baby Has a Story initiatives, visit www.marchofdimes.com/everybaby.  Special thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, the presenting sponsor for the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign in Georgia. 

About March of Dimes
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, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at http://www.marchofdimes.com/ or its Spanish language Web site at http://www.nacersano.org/.

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