The March of Dimes is a non-profit organization that works to give every baby a healthy and long life. They work to raise money for research so that babies like Zeek, who was born 14 weeks early and weighed only 1 ½ pounds, can have a chance at childhood (Give Them Tommorow). The mission statement at March of Dimes is: “Prematurity is the #1 killer of babies in the United States. We are working to change that and help more moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. From polio to prematurity the March of Dimes has focused on researching the problems that threaten our children and finding ways to prevent them.” (Give Them Tommorow) The current president of this nationwide organization is Jennifer L. Howse but as of November she will be turning her responsibilities over to Stacey D. Stewart. Stewart was the former U.S. president at United Way Worldwide. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics at Georgetown University and her master’s of business administration at the University of Michigan. Stewart will also be “the first African-American women to lead the March of Dimes” (Give Them Tommorow). …show more content…
A premature birth is any birth that happens before 37 weeks and it can leave the baby with long-term health problems that could then potentially “affect a person’s education and ability to work.” (Give Them Tommorow). This is important because around the world 15 million babies are born prematurely every year and the average medical cost for a premature baby is $54,194 compared to a healthy baby that is only $4,389 (Give Them Tommorow). Many parents do not have the funds to care for a premature baby and can even be sent into debt and that’s why the March of Dimes is working to provide research as to why so many mothers have premature