March for Babies 2012 Slideshow

Enjoy Family Team photos from March for Babies 2012--thank you for making this another great year!

Thanks to our Top Family Team Walkers and our Top Family Teams for an excellent job with fundraising this year!  We truly appreciate your time and efforts to make the 2012 March for Babies the best ever for Family Teams!

Top 10 Family Team Walkers:
(in alphabetical order)

Kori Bailey
Paul and Jean Bailey
Chad Collom
Grace Green
Kristen McConnell
Natalie Pegg
Kara Price
Karen and Jack Rynes
Tracy Sievers
Jonathan Stuhl

Top 10 Family Teams:
(in alphabetical order)

Beck POWER Walkers
Cinco
Early Babies
Frisco Baby Steps
Heart's Content
Plano NICU Parents
Running for Aidan
Team Grace - Dallas
Team Soren
Team Truman

Great job!!

2012 Family Teams Video

Thanks to our Family Team Sponsors!!

We have so many people to thank as we close out this 2012 March for Babies campaign!

First, I would like to thank Rogers-O'Brien Construction, Baker Triangle, and JE Dunn for joining forces to be our Family Teams Tent Sponsors.  Not only did they sponsor the tent, they also volunteered in the tent on walk day.  We really appreciate the support of these three companies and their employees!

Big thanks goes out to Atmos Energy for sponsoring the 2012 Path of Hope.  These signs are so special to family teams and we truly appreciate your sponsorship of the most meaningful part of the March for Babies walk route!

We would also like to thank Marine Max and McAllister's for sponsoring the food in the Family Teams Tent this year.  I know all of our teams enjoyed eating a meal after the 5 mile walk.  We appreciate your support for such a worthy cause!

Thanks to Central Market for providing fruit and Walgreens for providing bubbles and stocking the diaper changing station with supplies.

We would also like to thank our Family Teams Photographers, Daniel Simpson and Nicole Acevedo from Focus Photography for taking pictures this year and compiling a Family Teams Video.  We really appreciate you volunteering your services and capturing those special moments on walk day!

It takes an army to run the Family Teams Tent and we could not do it without the generosity of these companies.  Thanks to you all for your sponsorships and support of March of Dimes and our annual event March for Babies!

Where do I park?

Please see attached Parking Info sheet under Documents.  We have 3 locations you can park.  They are Valley View Mall (see map for parking area to use), Mockingbird and White Rock DART stations.  Please allow 30 minutes to park and ride the free shuttles to the park.  Buses start at 7am from each location and end at 2pm.  Get to your parking location EARLY to allow enough time for you to fully enjoy the pre-walk festivities.  There will be vendor tents along Baby Boulevard passing out freebies and lots of fun tents to see!  I usually recommend that you reach your parking destination by about 7:15am to allow enough time for the shuttle bus to get you to the park at about 8am.

What do I need to bring to March for Babies?

-Strollers (if needed) – this is a long walk for little ones and we accommodate for strollers on the shuttle buses and at the park. (please no bikes, roller blades, or dogs)

-Sunscreen – forecast calls for a sunny day.  Time to break out the sunscreen and sunglasses!

-Water – there will be water at the tent afterwards and along the walk path at checkpoints, but it is always a good idea to bring your own.

-Snacks – you will want to bring snacks especially if you have little ones.  We will have lunch provided after the walk but there won’t be any snacks passed out along the way.

-Cash/Check Donations and Sponsor Form – Please bring any cash and check donations to the Family Teams Tent either before or after the walk.  Please print off your Sponsor Form to ensure that the donations are posted to the correct team.  You MUST have your Sponsor Form in order to pick up your incentive t-shirt for those individuals that have raised over $200.

-Tennis Shoes – you will want to wear tennis shoes for this event.  The walk route is 5 miles, so good comfortable shoes are a must!

Where do I go when I get to the park?

Please see Norbuck Park Tent Map under Documents.  You will want to look for the Family Teams Tent.  Be sure you know this location in relation to the stage.  The stage will be the most identifiable area once you arrive at the park.  If you are in front of the stage, you can look straight back and see the March for Babies FedEx car and the Family Teams Tent will be right there.  We will also have a boat from Marine Max placed in front of the tent.  Once you get to the park, just look for the car and the boat and you’ll be headed in the right direction!

Preemie Pit – We will have a special section called the Preemie Pit for Family Teams right in front of the stage.  You will want to be sure your team is up there by 8:30am to be a part of the Opening Ceremonies that begin at 8:45am.   Allow enough time to stroll down Baby Boulevard (along the top of this map) and enjoy the music coming from the stage before the walk starts.

Family Teams Tent Information

Family Team Tent Sponsors – We have 3 companies that have sponsored the Family Teams Tent this year.  Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Baker Triangle, and JE Dunn have not only sponsored our tent but are sending volunteers to help us on walk day!  Our volunteers will have blue shirts on that have “VOLUNTEER” on the back, so please let one of these people know if you need help with anything.

Special Thanks to:

          

Food at the Family Teams Tent – Marine Max has so graciously provided box lunches for the Family Teams Tent.  Lunches will be first come, first serve after the walk and are limited to one lunch per person.

Special Thanks to:

Activities at the Family Teams Tent – We’ll have fun activities for the kids at  the tent after the walk including a clown, face painting and a coloring station.  Be sure to sign our “Why We Walk” canvas…we want to know why you walk and your connection to the mission!  Our Family Teams are a very special group of walkers to us and we want to hear from you!

Family Teams Photographer – Focus Photography will be taking pictures of family teams before, during and after the walk.  They will be taking pictures of your teams and team t-shirts, as well as pictures of you along the walk.  In addition, they will be donating 10% of the proceeds from any photo session booked in April to March of Dimes.  For more information on this amazing company or to book a session for your family, go to: www.explorefocus.com.  Thank you Focus Photography for donating your time to us on walk day!

Important March for Babies Information

T-Shirt Contest

If you would like to enter your family team’s t-shirt in this year’s T-Shirt Contest, please drop one t-shirt or mail one to the Dallas March of Dimes Office at 12660 Coit Road, Ste 200  Dallas, TX 75251

*The deadline is Friday, April 13th for the 2012 t-shirt contest, so don’t delay!  The winners will be announced before the walk. Be sure to send your team’s t-shirt sample to our office soon!*

 

Parking Information

You can find March for Babies parking information as a link to the right. Please remember that NO PARKING is available at Norbuck Park or White Rock Lake. Participants who attempt to drive and park in the area assume the risk of being ticketed and/or towed. We encourage you to use DART or the park and ride locations on the flyer.

Family Teams Tent

We will have small snacks and water at the Family Teams Tent after the walk.  You are more than welcome to bring sack lunches for you and your family to enjoy at the Family Teams Tent when you complete the walk. We have fun activities planned for your family after the walk, so please be sure to stop by and see us!

 

2012 March for Babies Q & A

When and where is the March for Babies event?
March for Babies is Saturday, April 21, 2012 at White Rock Lake at Norbuck Park. The opening ceremony starts at 8:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 9:00 a.m.

How far is the March for Babies Walk?

The Dallas walk is 5 miles. There is a turnaround point at the mile and a half mark that takes you back to the start/finish line for a shortened version.

Is there a registration fee to walk in the March for Babies event?
No, there is not a registration fee, but fundraising is encouraged.

Can we bring dogs to the walk and are they allowed on the buses?

We do not recommend bringing pets due to the large crowd, children and noise level. Dogs will not be allowed on buses.

Can I bring money to deposit at the walk?

Yes, you can deposit money at the Family Teams Tent before and after the walk.

Who do I contact at March of Dimes for more information or team captain materials?

You can contact your March of Dimes representative or for materials please contact Andrea Walker, (972) 232-1370 or awalker@marchofdimes.com

Time to sign up for March for Babies 2012!!

Happy New Year to all of our March for Babies Family Teams!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday season. As the new year begins, so does the 2012 March for Babies Season and you know what that means!  Time to sign up your team!

It's very easy to sign up for the 2012 Campaign.  Simply go to:

www.marchforbabies.org

Enter your user name and password from last year.  It will guide you through the process, asking you if you'd like to remain on the same team or create a team of your own.  Once you answer a few questions, it will take you to your Team Dashboard.  The system saves all of your information from last year, so all you need to do is make a few updates.  Go to "Edit Page".  Here you can make any changes to your page such as updating your picture or the text for the new year.

Then, you can start emailing your contacts the link for donations.  This is a great time of year to get started on your campaign!

2nd Annual NICU Cookie Drive

In mid December, we held our 2nd Annual NICU Cookie Drive and it was an amazing success!  We received donations from so many families and companies.  A special thanks goes out to Yolonda Woolfolk, the Bakery Manager at Kroger in Flower Mound, TX who donated 23 dozen cookies as well as Lacy Cox for facilitating donations from her school district.  Due to your donations, we were able to deliver more cookies to more hospitals this year than ever before!

We would also like to thank the volunteers that came up to the office to stuff cookie baggies and the volunteers that made the hospital deliveries.  We could not have accomplished so much without your help!

Thank you Kroger!!

Our very own Shay Paulson delivering cookies to Baylor Dallas where she was in the NICU as a preemie and after all these years, a nurse actually remembered her mom!

Thanks so much for your participation in this year's NICU Cookie Drive and we hope for another great one in December 2012!

Look at the amazing ways our Family Teams give back!

On Monday, December 5th, Medical City Children's Hospital hosted a reception to honor one of our wonderful families, the Gopal family and the unveiling of a triptych piece by artist Jane Matwijecky.  Ravi and Anjali Gopal donated a three piece art display to Medical City Children's Hospital that portrays their journey with their twins in the NICU.  It is a beautiful way to express their love for their children, their appreciation for the medical staff at Medical City, and their desire to comfort other parents as they journey through the NICU experience.  Thank you Gopal family for inspiring us all to find unique and impactful ways to give back to our community!