Prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life and since 1981, there has been a 27% rise in the rate of preterm birth in the United States. Nationally, more than 508,000 babies are born too soon and in Illinois, more than 23,000 babies are born prematurely each year. Nearly 50% of all premature births have no known cause. In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a $75 million dollar campaign to increase public awareness of the problems of premature birth, to educate women on the symptoms of pre-term labor, and to fund research into finding the cause of premature birth.

The McHenry County WalkAmerica kick off will take place from 5 – 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14 in Conference room A & B at Centegra Memorial Medical Center located at Route 14 and Doty Road in Woodstock. The WalkAmerica Co-Chairs, Ann Mundt-Smith and Maureen Motroni will welcome the attendees and the local Ambassador family, the Schmidts, will share their story. A baby cap presentation will follow the initial program as well as awards for top teams, top walkers, top family teams and most improved team.

Veteran and new teams are encouraged to attend. Information on how teams can sign up, ways teams can reach their goal and what to expect at WalkAmerica 2006 will be available. Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

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 to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.

The 5K for Preemies Run will take place prior to the walk portion of the event at 9:00 a.m. To register for the run, log on to signmeupsports.com or call the March of Dimes office at 815-397-0097 for more information.

The Presenting Sponsor for the 2006 Run is Medela and the Presenting Sponsor for the Walk is Centegra Health System. Other local sponsors include Harris Bank, LaSalle Bank, FedEx and Home State Bank. Kmart Corp., CIGNA Healthcare, Famous Footwear, Farmers Insurance Group and Fed Ex sponsor WalkAmerica nationally. The McHenry County WalkAmerica event will take place Sunday, April 30, 2006 at Lippold Park in Crystal Lake. To register for WalkAmerica log on to http://www.walkamerica.org/ or call 1-800-525-WALK.