Kansas City, MO —The March of Dimes Kansas City Division announces today that Tim Kelly, President of Sprint Consumer Solutions, will serve as Chairman for the 2005 WalkAmerica fundraising event. In his role, Kelly is determined to exceed the fundraising efforts of previous WalkAmerica events through increasing awareness in the Kansas City business community and recruiting more walkers.  The walk will be held on Saturday, May 14, at Shawnee Mission Park.

“March of Dimes is dedicated to leading the fight against premature births and birth defects.  As a father of five healthy children, I recognize the importance of continued education and research so that all babies may be born healthy,” Kelly said. “Being able to help March of Dimes with this effort is a privilege.”  

Under Kelly’s leadership, the Sprint team donations grew from less than $10,000 in 2003 to more than $106,000 in 2004. This year Kelly is challenging Kansas City companies to encourage their employees to walk and raise funds for the fight for healthy babies.

Premature birth is the leading cause of infant death with the possible long-term consequences of survival including chronic health problems and developmental disabilities.  Money raised through WalkAmerica supports research and programs to combat premature birth and other infant health threats here in Kansas City and across the nation.

To learn more about WalkAmerica Kansas City, call  (816) 561-0175 or visit www.walkamerica.org.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects 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 five-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org.