Every year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely.

At 21 weeks, my son, Conrad Och was one of those children born entirely too premature to survive. His lungs were not fully developed and there was no hope for a future with him. We unfortunately may never know what caused the labor to take place... but if we support causes that do, maybe saving just one life... that could be Conrad's legacy.

Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds we raise in WalkAmerica support research that saves babies' lives so that we might see more of our children grow up and live happy and healthy lives.

Team Conrad started as a team of 2 in 2007, which grew to 3 teammates in 2008... and in just two short years we have raised over $1,500.00 in Conrad's name!

Conrad will live on through us and all of the family and friends that loved him who support March of Dimes in his name. Some special thanks this year to:

Kathy Simmons & family, Veto Mentzell, Heather Lapp, Sherree Wolfman, Faith Sentz, Cindy Page, Terri B. Jacques, Jade Alvey, Amie Moutafis, Greg Palmer, John Cramer, John Bauman, Michelle Hope, Miss Debbie, Ricki Atkins, and the Engineering Department at the Marriott Hunt Valley.

Thank you for your support everyone. It is truly appreciated.

~Celeste

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.