WALDORF, MD – It was the feel-good moment of the week when approximately 800 residents joined together in support of southern Maryland‘s smallest citizens—babies—by participating in the 2015 March for Babies to benefit the March of Dimes. On Sunday, May 3rd, Regency Furniture Stadium and St. Charles was packed with strollers, families and corporate teams who raised more than $150,000 to help babies be born healthy. In total, they walked 4,000 miles.
Special guests at the day’s events included Kim Simonson, 2015 March for Babies Chair, Pat Day, March for Babies Chair-Elect, Craig Renner, March for Babies Past Chair, Mike Lukas, Board of Education and the Zeolla Family, the 2015 Southern Maryland Ambassador Family, who joined walkers on the route while the Superheroes of Southern Maryland, Once Upon A Princess, Cookie Monster, Elmo, McGruff and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Explorer’s cheered them past the finish line. Event photos can be viewed in the March for Babies Facebook photo gallery.
“Helping our babies should be a top priority,” said March for Babies Chair Kim Simonson of Lennar Homes. “I’m proud to be part of a community where people come together for such an important cause. We’re excited about what we’ve accomplished together.”
“It was a memorable and rewarding day for all of us,” said Heather Zeolla, whose family served as the 2015 Southern Maryland Ambassadors. “When Ayden and Ethan were born 6 weeks premature, we decided we had to do everything possible to help spare other families from enduring such traumatic experiences. Although we had many obstacles to overcome we are truly blessed to be a true success story. We are only a year into this journey but we will continue on until there is a day when all babies are born healthy. We’re honored to represent the March of Dimes in return for all the support they’ve given us and our family.”
March for Babies donations fund research, education and community programs that help women have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. Donations are still being collected and can be mailed to: March of Dimes Maryland-National Capital Area Chapter, PO Box 62770, Baltimore, MD 21264-2770 before June 30, 2015.
Local 2015 March for Babies sponsors include: University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, Lennar Homes, MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital, Calvert Memorial Hospital, The St. Charles Companies, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Outdoor Creations and Landscaping, Dominion Power Cove Point, Dash-In, Proctor Landscaping and Masonry, Safeway, Subway, and Southern Maryland Newspapers.