| Pam Reim, Harper Woods resident and nurse at St. John Hospital in Detroit, does more than just volunteer for the March of Dimes. Pam has dedicated her life to the mission of the organization in memory of her brother Matthew, who was born premature. The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Currently, the March of Dimes has entered a new Prematurity campaign. This five-year, $75 million dollar research, awareness and education campaign is aimed to help families have healthier babies.
Upon birth, Matthew suffered several blood and bone disorders and was given a year to live. Fortunately, Matthew outlived expectations and lived to be nine years old. During those nine years, he experienced 264 hospitalizations & 64 operations. In 1986-87, Matthew served as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Port Huron area March of Dimes. A Goodwill Ambassador is the March of Dimes version of a poster child and is a child who represents the mission very well.
Since this time, Pam & her family have dedicated their time to volunteering for the March of Dimes in events such as Jail & Bail and the Dodge National Athletic Awards. This month, Pam and St. John Hospital will be participating in the March of Dimes largest fundraiser, WalkAmerica as they have for many years in the past. Both Pam and St. John Health have been top fundraisers with St. John Health raising over $16,000 in the state of Michigan last year. The team also helps sponsor the WalkAmerica site at Metro Beach and holds additional fundraisers such as bake sales, candy sales, raffles and blue jean days. St. John Health has consistently been a top team in WalkAmerica efforts.
WalkAmerica is an eight-mile walk to save babies that will take place on Sunday, April 27. Proceeds raised by WalkAmerica will help the March of Dimes fund research and education on the cause and prevention of premature births. Walkers can gather donations from friends, family members and business colleagues. Based on how much they raise, walkers can qualify for incentive items.
National WalkAmerica sponsors are Cigna, Kmart, Allied northAmerican, Butler GUM, Discovery Health Channel and Famous Footwear. Comcast is a statewide sponsor of WalkAmerica in Michigan. WalkAmerica site sponsors in Metro Beach are Philip F. Greco Title Company, Kroger Company of Michigan, Fifth Third Bank, Comcast, St. John Health, Mount Clemens General Hospital, Richmond Rotary and Gillette.
Those interested in participating in WalkAmerica can do so by calling 1-800 BIG WALK or registering on-line at www.marchofdimes.com. |
