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By Janice Lin & Elizabeth Caudle
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Guess
what season it is? That’s right—the season for getting ready for
WalkAmerica! Every year, hundreds of thousands of compassionate people
get together to have fun and raise much-needed funds to help save
babies in your community and nationwide. The important thing to
remember, however, is that even though so many people are
participating… you are still needed. Whether you raise $5 or $47,000,
like Luke Parrish,
a 12-year-old from Florida, you might save the life of one baby, ten,
or thousands. Join in the fight today by fund raising for your own
walk!
Watch the video to help you get started with your free registration or register yourself as a walker
by clicking on “Register Now” on the website. Invite your friends and
family to join you on WalkAmerica day! E-mail, call or write your
relatives, friends, teachers and local businesses to ask for
donations—be sure to include information about the March of Dimes
mission and why their contribution is so important.
Last year, walkers who used the Online Fundraising Tool raised over three times more than the average walker!
Not sure what to write in your own online message or e-mail solicitation?
Think about…
• A personal story about how you, your family, or your friends have been helped by the March of Dimes.
• A message about how the work of the March of Dimes impacts everyone, such as:
You have been touched by the March of Dimes if you had a polio
vaccination … if you know someone born prematurely…
• How your money helps the March of Dimes:
$100 could provide 10 families of babies in newborn intensive care with
information and support to ease their fears and uncertainty. Find more
examples of how your money helps on the WalkAmerica Web site.
• Place table tents on cafeteria tables at high schools or colleges and universities.
• Post flyers throughout campus.
• Obtain ad slick from your March of Dimes chapter communications staff
for inclusion in your school newspaper – free publicity!
• Send letters to deans, asking for time in classes to speak or present
March of Dimes health education information. Don’t forget to mention
March of Dimes volunteering (and resume-building) opportunities!
• Label and promote cafeteria foods rich in folic acid, which helps
reduce the incidence of birth defects of the brain and spine.
• Approach your school’s chapter of any March of Dimes National
Partnership Clubs & Organizations (see the bottom of the newsletter
for all of our partners). Ask them to participate in WalkAmerica – a
great way to start volunteering for the March of Dimes! |
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Future
Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda members recently came
together at four locations across the country for their annual National
Fall Leadership Conferences (visit the FBLA-PBL website). They had the opportunity to find out more about what they can do for “pink and blue,”
through workshop sessions where they found out more about the history
of the March of Dimes, updates on Team Youth activities, and how they
can make an impact in their school and community through the March to
Nashville.
Several great, easy ideas came out in
discussions, like carrying around a baby bottle to collect spare change
or hosting dances for middle school students.
New
ideas can unlock the potential in any situation. FBLA-PBL put a new
spin on each annual conference Blue Jeans for Babies dance with the
“Battle for the Blue Jeans” challenge. Conference attendees were
encouraged by their national officers to attend the dances and help
raise funds for NICUs affected by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and
Mississippi.
An amazing level of support for
babies and their families was shown by FBLA-PBL members, contributing
$5,446.52 in all. Utah will accept an award at the National Leadership
Conference this summer on behalf of the attendees at the Salt Lake City
conference for raising the most money per attendee.
Thank you to FBLA-PBL for their continued support of the March of Dimes! We are excited to work with FBLA-PBL on the March to Nashville this spring.
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Want
to raise a mile of dimes? (That’s over $9,000, by the way). Having a
dime challenge between schools? Collecting spare change in the
cafeteria? Use Coinstar to easily and quickly donate your money!
To find the nearest Coinstar machine visit Coinstar's website. Check to be sure the Coinstar machine nearest you includes the March of Dimes among its charities.
Visit the Activities section of the Team Youth Web site for a Coin Collection Campaign overview.
Interested
in getting a coin box to start a coin collecting campaign? Contact your
local March of Dimes chapter by entering your Zip code in the box at
the top of the Team Youth Web site.
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