March For Babies Has Celebrity Support -- Now It Needs Yours

March For Babies Has Celebrity Support -- Now It Needs Yours

Dancing with the Stars, The View Hosts Agree: March of Dimes Fund-raising Walk Still All About Babies

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., APRIL 3, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It doesn't matter what you call it, March of Dimes premier fundraising walk is all about babies.

March for Babies(SM) will be held the last weekend in April in hundreds of communities nationwide.

This year, several celebrities have given their support to the March of Dimes work to help moms and babies -- those born healthy as well as those who need help to survive and thrive.

Tom Bergeron, host of Dancing with the Stars, returns as the 2008 March for Babies national spokesman. Sherri Shepherd, co-host of The View, is the celebrity chairwoman of the Los Angeles March for Babies, while New York Giants Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning will serve as the New York City celebrity chairman.

Formerly called WalkAmerica, the 39th annual fundraising walk was renamed to draw a clear connection to what the March of Dimes is all about - stronger, healthier babies. March for Babies participants, nearly a half million in 2007, walk for many reasons; some in memory of a child lost to premature birth, some to spare others the problems they faced, others simply because they believe that the March of Dimes work in communities nationwide helps give every baby a healthy start in life.

The money raised -- which neared $117 million in 2007 -- funds lifesaving research and educational programs aimed at helping women in communities across the country have healthy babies.

This year, Mr. Bergeron is joined by Ms. Shepherd in a playful public service advertisement in which both agree that the name change doesn't change the March of Dimes objective -- stronger, healthier babies.

To join March for Babies as an individual, as a corporate, family or friends team, or to donate to help babies be born healthy, visit marchforbabies.org or call toll-free 1-800-525-9255. For the first time, March for Babies participants will be able to distribute personalized sponsor requests with photos through an e-card, which can be downloaded at http://ecards.marchforbabies.org/.

The 2008 national March for Babies sponsors are CIGNA, Continental Airlines, Famous Footwear, Farmers, FedEx, Grain Foods Foundation, Liberty Tax Service, nesting.com and Kmart, the March of Dimes number one corporate partner. Additional national sponsorship is provided by Discovery Health, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Outdoor Services and Ther-Rx.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies(SM), the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.

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Source: March of Dimes

CONTACT: Robert Storace, +1-914-997-4622, rstorace@marchofdimes.com,
Todd Dezen, +1-914-997-4608, tdezen@marchofdimes.com, or Elizabeth Lynch,
+1-914-997-4286, elynch@marchofdimes.com, all of March of Dimes

Web Site: http://www.marchforbabies.org/
http://www.marchofdimes.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment