National Nurse's Day

Nurses play a critical role in advancing the mission of the March of Dimes. They serve the foundation in so many ways: as health care providers, educators, researchers, fundraisers, chapter volunteers and advisors. Please take time this week to thank the nurses who support your efforts. Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 through May 12.

For information about March of Dimes resources developed to support the work of nurses including continuing nursing education modules and scholarships, please contact Mary Lavan  or visit http://www.marchofdimes.com/nursing .

Please watch the link below to see how Chef Emeril and Good Morning America help celebrate the tireless efforts of one NICU nurse and mother. 

Breakfast In Bed

Do not forget to thank all of the nurses in your life. 

Natalie N. Lucas
972-232-1376
nlucas@marchofdimes.com

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers that have been impacted by premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality.  This holiday is in many ways harder for us than for the “ordinary” mom.  Many of us have been through the fires and the storms of motherhood pretty early in our journeys as moms.             

To mothers of preemies, Mother’s Day carries special meaning because our children came too early like unexpected visitors to our door.  We were just starting to prepare for these little people to enter our lives but we didn’t have the nursery ready, we didn’t have all the supplies we needed, and we had no idea that the hardships of motherhood would come so early on.  I’m sure we all heard stories while we were pregnant about how hard being a mom can be, how toddlers will keep you running and how teenagers might break our hearts.  We knew to be prepared for that but nothing in a pregnancy book could prepare us for the NICU journey we were about to take.  We had no idea that it could be days, weeks, or even months before we could hold our children.  We didn’t know that when our children were the sickest, we couldn’t hold them at all.  We didn’t know that we could not give them their first bath, their first bottle, or many other firsts we would miss with them.  We weren’t prepared for the fact we would need to learn how to feed them from a feeding tube, stimulate them to breathe when they stopped, or that we wouldn’t hear them cry for months in many cases.  Many people tried to reassure me by saying that my daughter would not remember any of this.  However, I remember EVERYTHING.  Mothers like us look into the eyes of those 2, 4, 6 yr olds and we know what great courage and strength it took for those children to be here.  No, Mother’s Day is not the same for us.  We are not “ordinary” moms. 

Many of us have a hard time on Mother’s Day because our children are not with us today.  Some people don’t even consider us mothers because our children did not survive.  This day is many times painful for us because we ARE mothers, we DO have children.  Even if we can’t hold them in our arms, we hold them in our hearts forever.  On Mother’s Day, there is great focus on those daughters that have mothers in heaven but little or no mention of those of us with sons and daughters in heaven.  If you know a mom that has lost a child, please give her a special hug on Mother’s Day and let her know how special she is.  We may not be “ordinary” moms but we ARE moms just the same and we love our children dearly. 

For those of us moms that are raising children with special needs, Mother’s Day can be bittersweet.  We celebrate the precious blessings our children are in our lives.  But, we also carry the heavy responsibility of being our child’s advocates at every turn.  We spend countless hours making sure our children have all the therapies they need, counseling and special medical devices they may require.  As one person told me, we are trying desperately to fit our oval shaped children into society’s circle shaped holes.  They look like they should fit perfectly but they have special needs to allow them to be successful in school and in life.  We many times have to question our children’s doctors, teachers, and school districts to be sure our kids are getting all of the services they need to thrive.  The doctors, teachers, and schools may see us coming and think that we are no “ordinary” moms and they are right!

We have all watched our children struggle to survive and in some cases we’ve seen them lose that fight.  We are no “ordinary” moms.  If this Mother’s Day leaves you feeling all alone in your motherhood journey, please know that we are in this together.  We are EXTRAORDINARY moms and our children in heaven and on earth are our constant motivation for us to do more, love more, and give more.  I am glad to be no “ordinary” mom!  I’m proud to stand arm in arm with mothers like you that have been through some of the toughest days as moms and are still standing!

 

Happy Mother’s Day to you EXTRAORDINARY moms out there!

 

Let's Finish Strong!!!

 

 

March for Babies was a great day for Dallas and for our Dallas Family Teams!  The event had a record 30,000 walkers this year!

 

Thank you to each and every Family Team Walker for your dedication to the cause, your fundraising efforts and the time you took out of your day to March for Babies.  Our Dallas Family Teams have raised close to $200,000 so far and we’re not done yet!  Please be sure to turn in all Cash and Check Donations no later than May 23^rd to qualify for these amazing walker incentives below:

 

$200.00- March for Babies T-Shirt

$350.00- $15 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

$500.00- $25 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

$1,000.00- $50 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

$2,500.00- $125 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

$5,000.00- $250 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

$10,000.00- $500 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

                          $20,000.00- $600 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card & T-Shirt

Turn in all Cash and Check Donations

Have you turned in all Cash and Check donations to March of Dimes?  This can be done in several ways as listed below:

1.       Turn in donations at the March of Dimes office.  You can stop by any week day from 9am-5pm to our Dallas March of Dimes office at:

March of Dimes – Dallas Division

Attn: Linda Bailey

12660 Coit Road, Ste 200

Dallas, TX 75251

2.       Mail in donations to the March of Dimes office address above.  Please make sure to note the Team Name and the Walker name that donations need to be posted to.

 

Please note, cash and check donations do not get added to your team and walker totals for incentive purposes until they are received by our office.  The deadline for turning in donations to earn incentives like those listed above is May 23^rd! 

Be a Virtual Walker

If you were unable to join us at March for Babies this year, you still can participate as a virtual walker.  Register as an individual or set up a team at marchforbabies.org and fundraise between now-May 23.  We even have an app for IPhone and Android users for fundraising on the go.

This is a great option for any family members or friends that could not attend March for Babies but still want to help support the cause and your family team!

Thank You

Natalie and I have so many people to thank for making the Family Teams experience on walk day a great one.  They say that it takes a village to raise a child and the same can be said for creating the Family Teams Tent, Memorial Tent and Path of Hope!  These areas at March for Babies are only made possible through generous donations of time, volunteers, and financial support.

Family Teams Committee

Every year, we work with an amazing group of volunteers, our Family Teams Committee.  These are comprised of Family Team Captains that volunteer their time throughout the season to mentor new family teams, set up events, brainstorm unique fundraising ideas, raise awareness in the community and help us to make the Family Teams top priority on March for Babies Day.  Natalie and I could not accomplish all that we do during March for Babies season without these incredible Family Teams Committee Members!

 

Family Teams Tent Sponsors

 

A HUGE Thank You to these 5 companies: Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Baker Triangle, Texas Air Systems, Cummings Electrical, and MHBT, Inc.

These companies not only supported the Family Teams Tent with their sponsorship dollars but also sent over 50 volunteers to help set up on Friday, April 11^th and to work at the Family Teams Tent on March for Babies Day.  These volunteers helped us hang banners and celebration towers, set up tables, Path of Hope signs, did face painting, worked the food tables on walk day, helped in the Preemie Pit and cheered on walkers along the walk route.  We can never thank these companies enough for making your Family Teams Experience special and memorable!

Path of Hope

 

Thank you to Perkins+Will for being our Path of Hope sponsor this year!  Without your sponsorship, we would not have the opportunity to honor these special babies both those in our arms and those we hold dear in our hearts.  The Path of Hope is very personally meaningful to me because my own daughters are represented, both with an In Honor Of sign for Kaitlyn Bailey and an In Memory Of sign for my angel Madison Bailey.  These signs mean more to our mission families than we can put into words.

A special thank you to Maria Brock and John Andrew at FedEx for donating their services and materials for the printing of the signs on corrugated plastic signs this year!  This made our signs much more durable than in previous years and our families loved them!

Memorial Tent

We would like to thank Dr. Delphinium Designs + Events for the donation of beautiful fresh flowers for our Memorial Tent.  It made the tent a serene environment for our families to remember our sweet babies…no longer with us but always in our hearts.

Family Teams Tent Food

Thanks to Walgreens for providing granola bars, capri suns and chips for our family teams.  Drinks were provided courtesy of a donation from Dr. Pepper coordinated by one of our family team captains Frankie Delgado.  Thank you to Central Market – Lovers Lane Store for providing the bananas and apples for the tent. 

Family Teams Lunches

 

A really big THANK YOU to the Omni Dallas Hotel for providing 1,200 lunches for our family teams to eat after the walk!

Walgreens

I would like to send a special shout out to Walgreens Manager John McFadden who coordinated the donation of bubbles, diaper changing supplies, coloring books, candles, Kleenex, and many other items to make our Family Teams and Memorial Tent inviting and convenient for walkers.  John and Walgreens have supported the Family Teams Tent for the past 4 years and we are so grateful!! 

Focus Photography

Thanks to Daniel Simpson at Focus Photography for being our Family Teams Photographer this year.  Daniel is a walker, supporter, and friend of the Brown Family and Team Cinco.  He has donated his time to March of Dimes the past three years taking pictures of the tents and of our family teams.  He sacrifices the ability to walk with his beloved friends on Team Cinco to support all family teams.  We are so very grateful Daniel for the generous donation of your time and talents!

If you would like to see or order any pictures that may have been taken on March for Babies Day, please go to the Focus Photography link below: 

http://proofing.explorefocus.com/marchforbabies2014

 

These companies listed above have been so very supportive of March of Dimes and Dallas Family Teams.  Please return the favor and support these businesses when you have the opportunity and please let them know how much we all appreciate their dedication to helping babies and families like ours!

 

Linda Bailey

Community Director

 



 

TOP TEAMS: The Tide is Changing:)

Good Afternoon Dallas Family Teams,

You continue to impress us with your fundraising commitments. 

Walk Day money has been added to our teams totals and we noticed a few changes in our TOP TEN:) 

 

REMINDER

Incentive fundraising deadlines:

05/23 for Tshirts & Gift Cards 

06/16 for Disney Incentive

 

Thank you for all of your continued efforts!!!

 

 

Top Individuals: Family Teams Dallas Division

George and Charmaine	Tang	Team Tang-O	27,174
Amanda	McCaffrey	Running for Aidan	15,040
Grace	Green	Team Grace - Dallas	10,247
Kara	Price	Team Truman	5,311
Katie	Smith	Lily's Team	5,285
Kevin	Green	Team Grace - Dallas	4147
Natalie	Pegg	Reagan's World	4,080
Staci	Wright	Team Harper Ann	2,646
Cher	Cope	Team 33	2,570
Gena	Sellers	Team Thumper	2,490

 

Top Family Teams:  Dallas Division

Team Tang-O	27,174
Running for Aidan	23,726
Team Grace - Dallas	18,007
Team Thumper	9,055
Plano NICU Parents	7,301
Team Truman	6,631
Darin's Family and Friends	5,772
Lily's Team	5,210
Reagan's World	4,815
Team 33	4,694

 

 Top New Teams: Family Teams Dallas Divsion

Team Harper Ann	3260.79
Team Kendric	3211
Cinnamon Buns	2425
So Many Twins	2170
Eva	1690
Jones Henderson - Walk	1665
ChasenDillons	1560
4 Lil Angels	1409.42
Caroline's Cuties	1338.47
Team Corbin Noah	1020
Preston Michael Bishop	975
The Runts	970

 

Sincere Thanks to all of you!!!

 

Natalie N. Lucas

nlucas@marchofdimes.com

972-232-1376