Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes in 1938, millions of people have found purpose in working together to protect the lives and health of babies and children.  The powerful combination of scientific research and committed volunteers achieved the victory over polio decades ago. And, today, we continue to make strides in the fight against premature birth and birth defects. At the very heart of our 70-year history of success are generations of volunteers. You too can take pride in volunteering for the March of Dimes to help ensure a healthy future for the generations to come. With so many volunteer activities to choose from,there’s something for everyone. Join us!

Educate and advocate
• Spread the word about premature birth – Just talking about the March of Dimes among your family, friends and colleagues is a valuable volunteer contribution as most people don’t know that premature birth happens so often, that its rate is on the rise, or that it is the leading cause of newborn death. Personal stories of premature birth, birth defects, or infant death are especially compelling and reflect how vital our work truly is for America’s babies and families.
November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Corporate buildings and public landmarks light up in “Pink and Blue.” Educational displays go up in offices, schools, and community centers. Somepeople send letters to the editors of local newspapers. Others volunteer virtually by sending e-mails, posting a Web banner, or starting a blog.  You will find lots of ideas at marchofdimes.com/everybaby where everyone is encouraged to post their stories about babies born healthy as well as those who must fight to survive and thrive.
• Share Your Story – Go to our special Web site shareyourstory.org. In this online community, families of premature or sick babies can connect with others who understand and also find hope and healing.
• NICU outreach – Help with projects such as NICU Days of Gratitude honoring NICU staff, NICU reunions, gift baskets, preemie clothing drives, or holiday decorations (often made by youth volunteers) for babies’ isolettes. Some chapters also offer an innovative program that provides information and comfort to NICU families: March of Dimes NICU Family Support®.
• Call, write or visit your public officials – March of Dimes volunteers speak out on Capitol Hill and in every state to help mothers and babies gain better access to health care, including through mandates for lifesaving newborn screening tests.
• Local education initiatives – Help plan, promote and attend Prematurity Summits, health and baby fairs or other professional and community education programs. Our Healthy Babies/Healthy Business program, for example, provides free health information in the workplace.
• Get involved with our Youth programs – To see the many exciting volunteer activities for youth from elementary school to college, check out marchofdimes.com/youth.
• Get involved through your Clubs and Organizations – Volunteer through groups like VFW, Kiwanis International, fraternities and sororities for fundraising activities and community programs such as Project Alpha for young African-American men and Stork’s Nest that helps low-income pregnant women.

March for Babies
A national tradition that came to Mississippi in 1980, WalkAmerica was the March of Dimes biggest fundraiser.  In 2008, we re-branded our signature event to March for Babies. We made the move to clearly communicate our mission and how the work we do benefits all babies.  March for Babies remains the single largest fund-raising event, and it plays an integral role in the advancement of the organization’s mission of preventing birth defects and infant mortality. March for Babies funds are raised primarily through participant team donations and corporate sponsorships.  Corporate teams, family teams, clubs, organizations, and individuals come together on a day to celebrate the mission of the March of Dimes and take part in a 3-4 mile walk. 

Signature Chefs Auction
Signature Chefs Auction is an up-scale culinary event that features a tasting of your favorite area restaurants.  Each chef prepares one of his or her signature dishes to be served for your dining pleasure.  Each chef also designs a one-of-a-kind culinary package that is placed in a live auction for your bidding.  A silent auction is also featured along with music and other fun activities. 

Honoree Events
"Spotlight On Success" is a wonderful celebration of the Mississippi Gulf Coast's best and brightest!  Many special guests come together to be honored by the March of Dimes with a dinner, silent and live auction, and awards ceremony. 
"Citizen of theYear" honors one person per year that the March of Dimes has identified as a great contributor to the success of our mission. 
"Born To Shine" honors those in the medical community that have been identified as contributing to the cause of the March of Dimes and our mission to improve the health of babies.  They receive the FDR service award.

Other ways to help

• At the March of Dimes office
The office of the Mississippi Chapter and the Central MS Division of the March of Dimes foundation is housed just off of Lakeland Drive in the heart of the Flowood business community.  Our office is conveniently located for volunteers and centrally located to our Jackson area volunteer base.  Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Office volunteers are needed on a regular basis for database management, mailing, document handling, answering phones, creating and producing awareness materials, and other general office applications.  Please schedule available times in advance when possible.   
• Recruit other volunteers – Volunteers recruit other volunteers! This is the most successful recruitment strategy. And with more volunteers we can achieve more.
• Pro-bono professional services – Contribute your time and your talent! Strategic planning and management; financial, legal, and administrative services; advertising and marketing; event planning; photography; you tell us.
• From your home or office – Make calls or send e-mails to rally support for the March of
Dimes; promote attendance at chapter events; thank donors and volunteers; share research
breakthroughs, program achievements, advocacy victories and other Foundation news; call
volunteers to action.

If you are interested in the March of Dimes Ambassador Program, please e-mail us or call us at (601) 933-1071.