Most common questions

Do you have lesson plans and curriculum for students?

For the middle school and early high school audience, check out our Teen-2-Teen program. This three part video series, along with a full curriculum, allows teachers, high school students and other community leaders to share healthy lifestyles information with middle school students and 9th graders.

How can I get involved?

Contact your local March of Dimes office and find out if they have any current programs for students.

Join March for Babies by visiting www.marchforbabies.org - start a new team for your school, campus or club! Or simply ask a few friends to join in your walk for healthy babies.

Use the resources on this site to plan your own fundraiser or awareness event, and contact teamyouth@marchofdimes.com if you need any help!

What does the March of Dimes offer youth?

Enriching and enduring lifelong experiences through opportunities to:

• Build leadership skills
• Network among like-minded student leaders nationwide
• Give back to communities and make a difference locally
• Become involved in meaningful civic engagement, including advocating for local and national policies
• Be educated about a healthy lifestyle today and in the future
• Earn community service credits and enhance resume
• Develop public speaking skills while building character and self-confidence

Who is part of March of Dimes Team Youth?

One million youths nationwide are supporting the March of Dimes mission, and all of these volunteers fall under our umbrella term "Team Youth."

From elementary school to college, students and teachers/advisers have joined together to reach the day when every baby is born healthy.

We have many national service partners and youth organizations who have partnered with the March of Dimes.

By volunteering for the March of Dimes, you are a part of Team Youth!

Bobcats sing for babies

By Jenna Wilson 
While we were far from the American Idol Studios, OU Idol brought Ohio University students together to sing for a good cause. In honor of Prematurity Awareness Month, which is the month of November, our March of Dimes student organization, with the help of an event planning class and communication's club, hosted a singing competition to heighten awareness for premature birth and raise money for the March of Dimes.

Twenty-six students auditioned for the OU Idol competition on the Athens campus at an open audition. Contestants paid a $10 entry fee to benefit the March of Dimes and sang 60 to 90 seconds a cappella for the auditions. After each performance, the judges provided feedback to each contestant. At the end of the auditions the Top 10 contestants were announced, and then a surprise two more contestants were added in to make a Top 12. The Top 12 contestants advanced to the OU Idol Finals. During the Finals Round, contestants performed their entire song and were critiqued by three, qualified judges imitating Randy, Simon and Paula. A Public Vote accounted for the score of the "fourth judge." At the end of the night, the Top 5 contestants were announced, each receiving $25 to a local hair salon.

Aaron Cox was announced as the winner of OU Idol, winning a prize package worth over $1,000! Aaron sang John Mayer's "I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You" while playing acoustic. He won several gift certificates from around Athens, Ohio, including, a $150 gift certificate to a local hair salon, a gift basket and a three song demo recording CD with LeVeck Entertainment and Production.

OU Idol raised $700 for the March of Dimes and received a great deal of media coverage. A local newspaper, "The Athens News," even gave OU Idol the entire front page!  It was a fun show and was well supported by the community. Singers were able to showcase their talent and we were able to raise funds and heighten awareness for all babies during Prematurity Awareness Month.

Maryland FBLA supports Signature Chefs

For many years the March of Dimes and Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) have partnered to build the leadership skills of high school and college students and offer them opportunities to serve in their local communities. The FBLA state officers of Maryland seized one such opportunity when they volunteered for the Maryland March of Dimes Signature Chefs event in Baltimore, Md.

Greeting the event's guests and overseeing the silent auction, Maryland FBLA officers and other members were instrumental in the evening's success. The involvement of this group of highly talented and motivated high school students is an excellent example of how the March of Dimes can tap into the youth population to execute successful events.

It wasn't just the officers and members who attended and volunteered at the event. Maryland FBLA's State Officer Advisor, Janice Icenhower; Vice Chairman of the Maryland FBLA Board of Directors, Alan Rzepkowski; and Chairman of the Maryland FBLA Board of Directors, David Jones, were all on hand to support the March of Dimes fundraiser. Commenting on how the group became involved, David Jones said, "One of the goals of the 2009-2010 Maryland FBLA State Officer team is to increase Maryland FBLA's participation in March of Dimes events, including volunteer opportunities and fundraising. This was the second year in a row Maryland FBLA was able to help with the silent auction and the Baltimore March of Dimes chapter has been a great partner for us to work with. Maryland FBLA was happy to help with this outstanding event again this year."

Maryland FBLA plans to continue their involvement with the March of Dimes by seizing additional volunteer and fundraising opportunities. Next up? A March for Babies team 2010! These future business leaders understand the importance of giving back and their volunteer efforts demonstrate that youth can ensure better opportunities for the youngest of America's youth — its babies.

National Youth Council

The National Youth Council is a committee of 19 college students who have been selected because of their demonstrated leadership ability and their potential for service to the March of Dimes Foundation. The purpose of the National Youth Council is to assist the March of Dimes in the design and implementation of programs targeted to young people. 

Our 2012-2013 National Youth Council members:

Anastasia Morrison, Clemson University
Anjani Kumar, University of Maryland, College Park
Caroline McKnight, University of Florida
Donnie Iorio, The University of South Carolina
Drew Marx, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dylan Conn, Stanford University
Emily Feinstein, Johnson and Wales University
Hilary Wright, University of Southern California
Jared Doles, Arizona State University
Joey Platt, Kansas State University
Kelsey Berning, Northwestern University
Kyle Croft, University of Florida
Lindsey Hiebert, Yale University
Morgan Croft, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Nikhita Thaper, Rutgers University
Rachel Bervell, Harvard College
Ronak Gandhi, University of Pennsylvania
Taylor Sarman, Oregon State University
XinLei (Tony) Wang, Stanford University

No small change: White County pre-kindergarten helps babies

Students at White County pre-kindergarten in Cleveland, Georgia, were told that if their class was the top fundraising class in the school, they would have a cupcake and Popsicle celebration. But that was not all they were told. The teachers at White County Pre-K took the time to explain to the students why the change they mined from their piggy banks and parents was important. It was to help babies.

The message of helping sick babies was not lost on the pre-kindergarteners. Says pre-kindergarten teacher Shannon Standridge, "This sparked something that we never expected. One little girl lost her first tooth and received a dollar from the tooth fairy. She brought it in and donated it. She also donated her monthly allowance, which was $20! We told her that she did not have to do that, and her reply was, 'It is for the babies.'"

Inspired by the efforts of teachers Shannon Standridge and Yvette Gooch, the tooth fairy was not the only source of contributions to help every baby be born healthy. One girl collected pennies on a daily basis from her parents, grandmother and aunt by recruiting them to find pennies for the babies. Change came in coffee cans and Ziploc bags from floorboards and car seats. Throughout the campaign, it was clear that the children not only wanted to give, but also they knew why they were giving.

"We are so impressed by their unselfishness and giving that we are in awe of what they raised," comments Standridge. "The giving was amazing. I wanted to share our story and tell what large hearts these four year olds have." The students in Shannon Standridge and Yvette Gooch’s class raised over $200 to help give every baby a healthy start, and White County pre-kindergarten finished their fundraising campaign with over $500. Their generosity exemplifies that giving begins at even the youngest of ages.

Students Skate4Babies

Hannah Sypniewski is a 7th grader from St. Michael’s Middle School in Virginia.  She has been competitively figure skating for 4 years and absolutely loves heading to the rink so she can practice her competition pieces and learn new tricks on the ice. Hannah loves to skate but also loves spending her time helping the March of Dimes and families suffering from premature birth.

Hannah herself was born prematurely and premature infants often lack the strength needed for activities as strenuous as figure skating. But above all odds Hannah persevered, and her enormous success proves that she is capable and competent in raising awareness for a program her family has been involved in since she was born.

Since the March of Dimes has hit so close to home for Hannah and her family, they decided they wanted to do something special, not only to raise money for the organization, but also to raise awareness about premature birth.

Hannah and her mother, Tammy Torocsik, a newborn intensive care nurse with HCA Hospitals, created a program called Skate4Babies, which is a figure skating exhibition that raises money for the March of Dimes. This program has gone beyond what Hannah and Tammy had originally thought. With the help of Hannah’s teammates and their families, the event ended up flourishing into something extraordinary.

Skate4Babies was held on Sunday, May 31 at the Richmond Ice Zone and featured many talented individuals. Each skater was able to perform a piece of his or her choice. They earned money by finding people to sponsor them; donors who sponsored a skater for $5 or more were entitled to one of the 200 tickets available for the fundraiser. In all, there were 50 skaters who participated and over 300 people who attended the 2-hour event.

Skaters as young as 3 years old performed in this showcase, and Skate4Babies included singles, couples, and teams, all of whom dedicated their performances to someone that was affected by the March of Dimes. The event was sponsored by the Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, the Richmond Ice Zone and the Central Virginia Skating Club. It was also sanctioned by the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA).

This fundraiser turned out to be a huge success and everyone that was involved worked extra hard and ended up making over $6,000. One thing that made the fundraiser even more special was the fact that seven out of the 35 skaters were preemies themselves, and there were also eight skaters that had a brother, sister or other family member that was born prematurely. Each skater did a magnificent job, and it is amazing that these individuals were able to help the organization that helped them and their families!

Teen-2-Teen curriculum

Teen-2-Teen is a series of health education videos and lesson plans that teach teens how to make healthy decisions for their own benefit now and for the benefit of any children they may have in the future.

The curriculum can be led by teen peer educators or more experienced adult educators.  Teen-2-Teen content is conducive to an after-school program and can be delivered in nine separate 30- to 45-minute sessions or in one full-day program. Each segment is stand-alone; presenters can select what is most appropriate for their audience.

March of Dimes Youth Health Education Series

Credits (.PDF, 192KB)

Introduction and Overview (.PDF, 149KB)

Template Letter to Parents (.PDF, 70KB)

Preparing to Present a Session (.PDF, 236KB)

Participant's Evaluation Form (.PDF, 74KB)

Ice Breakers (.PDF, 86KB)

Segment 1: You Matter (.PDF, 585KB)

• What is the March of Dimes?
• The Power of Youth Involvement

Segment 2:  Truth and Consequences (1MB)

• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Drugs

Segment 3: Healthy Lifestyles (.PDF, 950KB)

• Eat Right
• Exercise
• Think Ahead

Self Esteem, Peer Pressure,and Stress Management (.PDF, 287KB)

Presenter's Survey (.PDF, 118KB)

Entire Curriculum (.PDF, 113 pages total, 4MB)

 

Vita Tringone's passion for preemies

For Vita Tringone, volunteering for the March of Dimes is about more than just participating in her school's charity activities. Since losing her 2-month-old son, Michael, in 2000, Tringone has channeled her grief into efforts to help all babies be born healthy.

"I remember March of Dimes from when I was very young and associated it with fighting polio," says Tringone. "I remember the picture of the poster-child with braces on his legs. I didn’t know of anyone at the time who suffered from this disease, but knew they fought for a good cause. So many years later, the March of Dimes has touched my family's lives in a very personal way."

After Michael's death, Vita and her family became involved with the March of Dimes, participating at WalkAmerica. When the principal of the school where Vita teaches approached the faculty about conducting a WonderWalk, Vita jumped on board. She now coordinates the Willow Road Elementary School Halloween WonderWalk, which has raised over $10,000 for the March of Dimes in its 3-year history.

Her fervor for healthy babies didn't stop with her own volunteer efforts. It was caught by her children, Adriana and Matthew, who started their own charity initiative, Blankets for Babies. Inspired by the gifts of blankets and clothing Michael received during his stay in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU), his siblings formed Blankets for Babies to secure donations of blankets, mittens, beanies and booties for infants undergoing the NICU experience.

Michael's stay in the NICU wasn’t the first time the Tringones were affected by the March of Dimes. Their first son, Matthew, was born 6 weeks premature with under-developed lungs. After receiving surfactant, Matthew began to thrive, and is now healthy and strong. "I'm sure the March of Dimes had something to do with the research that later resulted in saving my son’s life. This was a success story from every angle."

Michael's story, however, is one with a different result, and is one that too many families today share. "My third child and second son, Michael was born after a very agreeable and pleasant pregnancy. There wasn’t any reason to think that we would encounter any problems, and my family was overjoyed when he was born. We were unaware of what was yet to come. Michael was born with a condition that the doctors were never able to quite figure out. However, he had enormous difficulty breathing, no swallow reflex, and they believe he was deaf and blind. We were devastated when we were told he would never be able to speak, eat or walk."

Baby Michael spent two months in the hospital and endured painful and intrusive medical procedures. Though this was a difficult period for the entire Tringone family, they were thankful to have time with Michael before he passed away. "The only thing I can hold onto until this day is that, because of all of the research and findings that were done Michael was able to be with us for two whole months. We were able to hold him, change him, feed him, cuddle him and kiss him--a lot! I know I was so lucky and I am so grateful to have had him for the time we did."

Vita Tringone is a stellar example of a March of Dimes volunteer. Her belief that every baby should be born healthy with the right to thrive has extended to her family and to her students at Willow Road Elementary. Because of her efforts, inspiring others to give back, and educating them about the importance of healthy lifestyles, there will come a day when the birth of every baby is a success story from every angle.