May 6, 2014
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!
May 2, 2014
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 23rd 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 23rd!
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 11th 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:
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
May 1, 2014
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
|
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
|
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
|
Apr 15, 2014
Look Who's Talking about March for Babies...
Check out the below coverage of March for Babies this past weekend. Thank you to all of our family teams for joining us for such an amazing day!!!
Fox 4's March for Babies Coverage
Natalie N. Lucas
972-232-1376
nlucas@marchofdimes.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)