AMERICA LIGHTS UP IN PINK AND BLUE TO HELP SAVE BABIES

March of Dimes Volunteers, Celebrities Celebrate "Prematurity Awareness Day" Nationwide

WASHINGTON, NOV. 16, 2004 - Major landmarks across the country will be lit tonight in pink and blue to mark the second annual Prematurity Awareness Day by the March of Dimes, which cites premature birth as the number one health risk for America's newborns.

The March of Dimes designated November as national Prematurity Awareness Month to draw attention to the growing common, costly and serious public health problem of premature birth.

Families, volunteers, and celebrities will join together for a "moment of hope" for premature babies at major buildings, bridges, and other landmarks, including:

  • Niagara Falls, Buffalo, New York
  • New York City -- The ConEd Building in Union Square
  • Chicago -- LaSalle-Wacker Building & Towers
  • Philadelphia -- Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Strawberry Mansion Bridge, CIGNA World Headquarters
  • Washington: Freedom Plaza, John A. Wilson District Building
  • Miami -- Bank of America Building (designed by I. M. Pei)
  • Springfield, MA -- The Basketball Hall of Fame
  • Milwaukee --U. S. Bank Building
  • Oklahoma -- State Capitol Dome
  • Wyoming -- State Capitol

In the nation's capital, a jazz singer, an entertainment reporter, and a lawyer will join March of Dimes dignitaries at a rally at Freedom Plaza to describe their experiences with a baby born prematurely and to call for increased federal funding for research into this national health crisis.

They will also ask the public to visit www.clicktosavebabies.org to sign an online petition to Congress for increased research funding, or connect with other families affected by premature birth. Also throughout November, Motherhood Maternity stores will offer a free gift bag and health pregnancy information from the March of Dimes.

Partnering with the March of Dimes are the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).

Corporate sponsors of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign are CIGNA, FedEx, and the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute. Media sponsors include American Baby Group and Working Mother Media.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a five-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at nacersano.org.

Contact Info

Beth Rowan, 914-997-4269 Cell phone: 914-843-6281
Todd Dezen, 914-997-4608 Cell phone: 914-843-1068

Related Documents

Celebrities Share First Hand Experiences With Premature Birth
America Lights up in Pink and Blue to Help Save Babies
Celebrity Bios
Prematurity Campaign Fact Sheet
Prematurity Campaign Alliance Members
Dr. Joy Browne Broadcasts Live from Freedom Plaza
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Radio personality and relationship expert Dr. Joy Browne broadcast live from Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C.for three hours on Nov. 16, devoting her entire program to the subject of premature birth in honor of March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness Day. Hosted by WOR broadcasting network, Dr. Browne interviewed celebrities and families affected by having a baby arrive too early - from their experiences in a neonatal intensive care unit to how they became involved as March of Dimes volunteers. Dr. Joy Browne's program reaches 170 stations nationwide.
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In recognition of the March of Dimes second annual Prematurity Awareness Day on November 16, Niagara Falls was aglow in the campaign's colors of pink and blue.
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Jazz singer Maysa Leak shares 'Out of the Blue,' a heart-felt song written to commemorate the premature birth of her son at a rally on Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., marking the second annual Prematurity Awareness Day. Hundreds of March of Dimes volunteers and families affected by premature birth gathered to ask for more federal funding for research into the causes of premature birth as part of its 5-year, $75 million campaign to reduce the growing rate of premature birth in this country, up 29 percent in the last two decades.
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Lighting up the Wilson District Building in Washington, D.C. in pink and blue for Prematurity Awareness Day, the March of Dimes called for a 'moment of hope' for all families of babies born too early. Similiar lightings took place across the nation at landmark buildings, bridges and sites as Americans called on the federal government to set aside more funds for prematurity research.
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WB star Holly Marie Combs joined March of Dimes 2004 National Ambassador Child Amanda Reeves on Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. yesterday as celebrities and families came together to mark the second annual Prematurity Awareness Day, highlighting the need for more research to find out why the rate of premature birth continues to escalate. The March of Dimes initiated a five-year, $75 million campaign in 2002 to raise awareness of the problem and reduce the rate of preterm birth in this country.
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Telling their personal story of their daughter's premature birth, Michael Gelman, executive producer of 'Live with Regis & Kelly,' and his wife, CBS correspondent Laurie Hibberd, recount how their daughter's early arrival changed their lives and expectations for parenthood. Their daughter, Misha, is now the 'chubbiest' seven-month-old but the Gelmans said that their ten days in the neonatal intensive care unit taught them how important it is to prevent premature birth and called on all Americans to join in the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign.
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