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The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes carries out this mission through programs of research, community services, education and advocacy.

Description:
Every day more than 1,305 babies born in the U.S. arrive too soon. Premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman, and no one knows why. The March of Dimes has played a role in making America's children healthier for nearly 70 years. Now we're taking on the problem of premature birth.

History:
In January of 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself suffering from polio, established the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis, later known as the March of Dimes. Over the next 17 years, the National Foundation focused on funding research to develop a vaccine against polio. This was the first large scale, nationwide biomedical initiative lead by a charitable organization.

As most people know today, the March of Dimes was successful in finding a vaccine to stop polio. Instead of closing its doors, the organization chose to redirect its focus to a similar problem - birth defects and their causes.

From 2000 - 2002 the March of Dimes conducted a nationwide folic acid campaign with a goal of reducing Neural Tube Defects, which affects 4,000 pregnancies a year in the United States.

On January 30, 2003 the March of Dimes launched its Prematurity Campaign, a five-year, $75 million research, awareness and education campaign to help families have healthier babies.

Contact people:

Stacey Wawrzyniec, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Jennifer Kolb, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (716) 691-0240

Address:

385 North French Road, Suite 100 Buffalo, NY 14228 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.marchofdimes.com/upstatenewyork