March for Babies


 

Chicago

Raised to date
$31,652
Our goal $640,000
 
Montrose Harbor - Grove 16 (TENTATIVE)
400 West Montrose Harbor Drive, Chicago, IL 60640
Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026 9:00 AM
 
Date: April 26, 2026
Event time: 09:00 a.m.
Registration time: 7:00 a.m.
Location:
400 West Montrose Harbor Drive, Chicago, IL 60640
Montrose Harbor - Grove 16 (TENTATIVE)

Important Update

Our March for Babies celebration is still on, but it looks a little different! We are rapidly preparing for a new, virtualized event that will be fun and engaging for everyone. This change in format aligns with the newly released CDC guidance for large events, to help ensure the safety and health of our participants. More details on our new format to come soon!

 
 
 
 
About March for Babies

Make change happen for families! March for Babies connects you with friends, families, and coworkers to improve the health of moms and babies in your community and across the country. Because together with March of Dimes, each step forward leads to a healthy future for us all.

 

View our 2025 photos by CLICKING HERE!

 

Start or join an existing team today, create an online fundraising page and let everyone know that you’re helping to make America a more equitable place and ensure that every mom and baby is healthy. Every step counts.

 

NEW THIS YEAR: CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR FAMILY TEAM INCENTIVES!

 

 

EVENT DETAILS - ALL TENTATIVE
Sunday, April 26th 2026 
Site opens at 7:00 AM 
Stage program begins at 8:45 AM
Walk step-off at 9:00 AM (walk will be about 3 miles)

Super Hero Sprint at 10:30 AM

 


March for Babies brings people together through events across the country and online while raising critical funds to tackle America's maternal and infant health crisis—one person, one community, and one step at a time. More than a yearly walk, March for Babies is a community. Families, friends, and co-workers can connect while raising critical funds for research, education, advocacy, and programs and services so moms and babies get the best possible start. Because together, each step forward leads to a healthy future for us all. March for Babies. Every step counts!

About the local event

 

For more information, contact Sarah Milani at [email protected] or 312-909-0468

By participating in this March of Dimes event, you assume all risks related to attendance and acknowledge and consent to the event terms, including but not limited to March of Dimes' liability waiver and health and safety guidelines, as set forth in detail here.

 

Event progress* $31,652 RAISED (As of Monday, Feb 9, 2026)

Raised: $31,652

 
Top fundraisers
 
1
Kelly Pernick
$6,386
2
Leah and Adam Levy
$3,089
3
Andrew Dahle
$1,873
4
Leah Solomon
$1,560
5
Jana Kohn
$899
Top family teams
 
1
Team Kelly Pernick
$6,386
2
Team Trey Levy
$3,089
3
Team Aaron Ryan
$899
4
Team Kernan
$765
5
Team Milani
$633
Company, school & org
 
1
MARCH OF DIMES - CHICAGO ASSOCIATE BOARD
$2,263
2
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS - IL
$2,076
3
ALPHA PHI ALPHA - IL
$1,435
4
NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE - PRENTICE
$1,080
5
RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ILLINOIS
$465
 
 
*The total amount displayed reflects the amount on the team or personal fundraising progress bar. If the progress bar is not displayed on the team or personal page, the team/person won't be displayed on the leaderboard. Leaderboard totals reflect cash and checks marked "received" on the online sponsor form as well as credit card and PayPal donations. Team captains can enter as cash and mark "received" any money raised through promotions, such as bake sales and casual days and any sponsorship money paid to March of Dimes, on their team's online form. Record all donations on your online sponsor form before you turn in cash and checks to March of Dimes!
 

2026 Ambassador Family

 

 

The McSherry Family

In July 2023, Katrina and Mike McSherry were preparing for the birth of their first child. Though a C-section was scheduled just days away, Katrina went into labor at 38 weeks on July 13th. Tragically, what should have been a night of joy turned into a nightmare when doctors could no longer find a heartbeat. On July 15th, after 25 hours of labor, their son Callum Michael was born into heaven, weighing 7 pounds and 8 ounces. In the midst of their tragic loss, Mike and Katrina were grateful they got to spend a full day holding Callum, an experience they recall as “transformative.” They shared that “loving on Callum that day was so heartbreaking, and yet so incredibly beautiful at the same time.” Layered onto the terrible beauty of that moment, the heavy reality of loss remained. Instead of their baby, Mike and Katrina left that hospital that evening with a teddy bear to face the brutal transition from dreams of parenthood to a life without their son. The following months were a journey of resilience. After a subsequent miscarriage, the couple learned they were pregnant again on Callum’s first birthday, and then welcomed their second son, Owen Gabriel, on February 25, 2025. While the McSherrys carry Callum’s memory with them daily, Owen brings them immense joy, and they are learning how both grief and joy can coexist. On their grief-stricken family building journey, March of Dimes became a vital source of community for the family. Mike turned his pain into purpose by joining the 2024 March of Dimes Chicago Marathon team, running in Callum’s honor to support stillbirth prevention. Now, as the 2026 Chicago March for Babies Ambassador Family, Katrina and Mike are sharing the story of Callum’s life to give a voice to underrepresented loss families and show that, while challenging, the healing journey is possible.

 

National partners

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Become a partner

Thank you to our local sponsors

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