March of Dimes


E-mail Newsletter: September 2006

Dear Team Youth,

Your volunteer efforts make the concept of progress a reality, and your efforts have the capacity to influence the masses. As the incoming Chair to the National Youth Council, I encourage all of you to continue to make a promise to service.

More than 500,000 babies are born prematurely every year. Premature birth is the #1 killer of newborns. Any pregnant woman can have preterm labor and half of the time we do not know why. Premature birth is a national health crisis that must be stopped

Take the next step and ask your U.S. Representative to support the PREEMIE Bill (S.707/H.R. 2681), which would expand federal funding for research into the causes of premature birth. The PREEMIE Bill would also speed development of prevention strategies for preterm labor and delivery.

Thank you once again for your commitment to saving babies. Feel free to e-mail me with ideas or questions at teamyouth@marchofdimes.com.

Cheers,
Rahul Bansal
Chair, National Youth Council


	Back to School, March of Dimes Style By Charles Bentley

As summer comes to a close, it's time to bust out your old dusty backpack, grab your polished school gear, and set off for a new year of books, teachers and…saving babies? That’s right!

Now more than ever, your help is needed to support the March of Dimes fight to defeat prematurity nationwide. The beginning of the school year provides an amazing opportunity to rally friends and fellow classmates to raise funds, advocate and educate on behalf of the March of Dimes.

Here are some innovative ideas to help you get started:

Football Game: School football games provide a wonderful opportunity to fundraise. Work the concession stand, conduct raffles or collect donations from the crowd.

Back-to-School Dance: Offer to sponsor and organize a Back-to-School Dance to savebabies. Be creative and incorporate a theme. Pass out March of Dimes awareness bands or have students dress in pink and blue.

Freshman Orientation: Back-to-school equates to the arrival of the newbies (a.k.a. the freshmen). Take advantage of this new audience and recruit March of Dimes volunteers at freshman orientation. Set up a booth and pass out March of Dimes literature or have students organize a WalkAmerica team.

Homecoming Week: As one of the most spirited weeks on campus, Homecoming Week is a great time to get involved in MOD activities. Speak to your student government or school administration and see how March of Dimes fundraising and education can best fit in their Homecoming schedule. You can establish class competitions, pass out March of Dimes literature or even develop a mini walk-a-thon right on your campus.


	Just for Teens! by Liz Fleuette

The March of Dimes National Youth Program recently launched a new series of heath education materials, just for teens. Available in DVD or VHS, the Teen-2-Teen Health Education Videos feature youth volunteers speaking candidly about the March of Dimes mission and what it means to them. The three segments are:

(1) You Matter: An overview of the March of Dimes mission and volunteer opportunities – such as WalkAmerica, coin collection campaigns, advocacy, health education, etc – for youth of all ages, kindergarten through college.

(2) Truth and Consequences: Teens talk about the consequences of smoking, drinking, drugs and how these “risk behaviors” impact their health today as well as the health of the babies they may have in the future.

(3) Healthy Lifestyles: Teens talk about the importance of good nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep, stress management and positive peer relationships to a healthy lifestyle today and for a full-term pregnancy in the future.

To obtain a copy of the video or the accompanying booklet, contact your local March of Dimes chapter. Or visit the Team Youth Web site and watch the Teen-2-Teen videos for a preview as well as ordering information.

Project of the Month

	Sign our petition for Google™ to create a doodle in honor of Prematurity Awareness Day, November 14th!

Grants & Scholarships

	Heart of America Foundation's Christopher Reeve Award

	The Heart of America Foundation's Christopher Reeve Award is presented each year to an extraordinary youth who has demonstrated tremendous courage and compassion in serving his or her community. Nominees should be high school seniors or younger and the awardee must be a high school senior or younger at the time of the award in December. Nominations will be considered from September through November each year by an awards review committee. One award recipient will be selected by the end of December and will receive a $1000 scholarship for post secondary education. Click here for more information.



	2006 William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

	The William R. Simms Award, given annually by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), recognizes service by an individual or group of young people ages 5-17 and 18-23 who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the community through direct financial support, development of charitable programs, volunteering and leadership in philanthropy. Nominations for each award may be placed by an individual AFP member, an AFP chapter or members of the AFP Awards Committee. Visit the AFP Web site for nomination forms and complete guidelines. Submission deadline is September 15, 2006.

Nearly two-thirds of babies receive most of the recommended newborn screening tests. State programs have expanded, but more than a million babies are still not screened for the core panel of disorders.

Learn more about Team Youth and our Partners:

* March of Dimes Team Youth  * FBLA-PBL  * Key Club
* Circle K   * Gamma Sig Sig   * Delta Sigma Phi
* America's Promise   * FCCLA
* Top Ladies of Distinction Top Teens of America