ATLANTA (October 17, 2007) – Governor Sonny Perdue has proclaimed November Prematurity Awareness Month in Georgia, and the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter is gearing up for an exciting celebration in Atlanta.  Raising awareness and encouraging everyone to join the fight against prematurity, the March of Dimes will honor November with a variety of events including:

• 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 stops in Atlanta on October 21st and 22nd at Lenox Mall, and the journey will culminate in New York City on Prematurity Awareness Day, November 13th.   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 a March of Dimes information center.   

• NICU Family Support® Project – On Tuesday, November 6th, the March of Dimes will hold a press conference to announce the second Georgia hospital to receive a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support project.  March of Dimes NICU Family Support provides information and comfort to families of premature and other critically ill newborns being cared for in a NICU.  Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah was the first Georgia hospital to be awarded in February 2006. 

• Annual Signature Chefs Auction on November 8th – Savannah’s leading chefs will come together for the March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction on Thursday, November 8th at the Hyatt Regency Savannah.  Beginning at 6 p.m., chefs from The Mansion, Il Pasticcio, Georges’ of Tybee, Hampton Island Preserve, the Hyatt and others will cook up gourmet food while patrons bid on dining, entertainment and travel auction items.  Savannah’s own Trae Gurley will perform.  All proceeds benefit the March of Dimes.  For ticket information, call 912-354-5900.

• Memorial Health University Medical Center Lit in Pink and Blue – Prematurity Awareness Day is November 13th, and Memorial Health University Medical Center will be lit in pink and blue starting at sundown on November 12th to mark the occasion.  The hospital, recipient of Georgia’s very first NICU Family Support® project in February 2006, will be decking the halls with pink and blue as well as including special March of Dimes blankets and bears in the parent care kits for the month.  A private reception for the lighting is planned on November 12th.

• Hyatt Regency Savannah Lit in Pink and Blue – The historic hotel on downtown’s Riverfront Plaza will light up in pink and blue beginning the evening of the Signature Chefs Auction through November 13th. 

• NICU Bedside Reading Program- Throughout Prematurity Awareness Month, 20 hospitals across GA will receive book carts from March of Dimes through their NICU Bedside Reading Program.  About 1 in 10 newborns wind up in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. Under the umbrella of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, the goal of the NICU Bedside Reading Program is to make the journey through newborn intensive care smoother and less traumatic by giving parents the opportunity to bond with their newborn. 

• Macy’s “Giving Every Baby a Healthy Start” Gift Cards – Macy’s South, a division of Macy’s Inc., has partnered with March of Dimes by developing a co-branded electronic gift card.  Beginning November 1, 2007 through January 2008, 10% of the purchase price of each “Giving Every Baby a Healthy Start” gift card will be donated to the March of Dimes. The cards are available in the children’s department at all Macy’s South stores in the following 10 states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.   • Barnes & Noble Buckhead Book Drive - 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.

• “I Want My 9 Months” Program – The March of Dimes will be presenting a program for the students of Spelman College to discuss how their health today impacts the health of their future baby. 

• AT&T Building Lit in Pink and Blue – AT&T’s corporate office in downtown Atlanta (675 West Peachtree Street) will be lit in pink and blue.  The 47-story building has been part of the Atlanta skyline since 1981, and this lighting is part of a national March of Dimes initiative with pink and blue landmark lightings throughout the country during the month of November.

In conjunction with Prematurity Awareness Month, the March of Dimes recently launched Every Baby Has a Story at www.marchofdimes.com/everybaby.  This new campaign encourages parents to share their baby’s story online and connect with other families.  A Story Map enables visitors to 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.  The Photo Mosaic 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.   

The March of Dimes is leading the fight against premature birth, which has been escalating steadily and alarmingly over the past two decades.  One out of eight babies is born prematurely in the United States, and in the state of Georgia, every week 340 babies arrive too soon.  These babies face an increased risk of death and serious medical complications. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation wants to give all babies a healthy start and is proud to be a presenting sponsor of the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter Prematurity Awareness Campaign. 

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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