| (APRIL 27, 2004)—Teams of employees and their families from New Jersey corporations and organizations, in addition to thousands of individual residents recently walked to help the March of Dimes fund critical initiatives for research, education and advocacy to help prevent premature birth, a leading cause of newborn death and a major cause of lifelong disabilities.
This serious problem has increased 27 percent since 1981. It affects more than 470,000 babies every year or one out of every eight. More than half the time premature birth happens for unknown causes.
Together, volunteers raised over $3.4 million through WalkAmerica. The New Jersey Chapter anticipates meeting its budgeted goals for each site.
Atlantic County - $50,000
Bergen County - $95,000
Burlington County - $109,000
Camden County - $247,000
Cape May County - $40,800
Cumberland County - $85,500
Essex County - $225,000
Gloucester County - $88,200
Hudson County, Jersey City - $116,000
Hudson County, Meadowlands - $108,000
Hunterdon County- $37,000
Mercer County - $375,000
Middlesex County - $366,000
Monmouth County - $222,000
Morris County, Madison - $181,500
Morris County, Mt. Olive - $82,500
Ocean County - $183,000
Passaic County - $112,000
Salem County - $60,000
Somerset County - $93,000
Sussex County - $85,000
Union County - $72,000
Warren County - $22,000
In 2004 the national sponsors for WalkAmerica are CIGNA, Kmart, Famous Footwear and Discovery Health. Garden State sponsors include Pfizer, Wachovia, PSEG and Sovereign Bank.
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, its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org or call 1-800-BIG-WALK.
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