MARCH FOR BABIES: A MOTHER OF A MOVEMENT™


 

New Haven

Raised to date
$81,357
Our goal $139,000
 
Lighthouse Point Park
2 Lighthouse Point Road , New Haven, CT 06515
Date: Sunday, April 26, 2015 10:00 AM
 
Date: April 26, 2015
Event Time: 10:00 AM
Registration Time: 9:00AM
Location:
2 Lighthouse Point Road , New Haven, CT 06515
Lighthouse Point Park

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
Scenic Lighthouse Point Park is home to March for Babies in New Haven and offers walkers a picturesque route along the sound, along with a lot of activities including the carousel, dance demonstrations, and much more. When you walk in March for Babies, you truly make a difference in the lives of babies and their families in Connecticut and throughout the nation. Don’t miss it – register today!
 

EXPERIENCE PROGRESS* $81,357 RAISED (As of Thursday, Mar 28, 2024)

Raised: $81,357

 
Top fundraisers
 
1
Tracy Wittreich
$6,015
2
Rebecca Sullivan
$3,225
3
Katy Blanchette
$2,595
4
Janine Geneste
$2,146
5
Cara Cappalli-Davey
$1,875
Top family teams
 
1
Tracy's Team
$6,515
2
Kellen's Heroes
$3,830
3
TEAM AVA & AARON
$3,560
4
Team Super Max
$2,396
5
Anna's Angels
$2,380
Company, School & Org
 
1
YALE NEW HAVEN CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$8,669
2
YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MED - CT
$1,810
3
People's United Bank
$1,001
4
ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY - CT
$630
5
COLLEGIATE COUNCIL
$585
 
 
*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 the 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 the March of Dimes!
 

Our ambassador

 

 

Meet the Blanchette Family

On Sunday, April 26th, hundreds from the Greater New Haven area will gather for March for Babies at Lighthouse Point Park to benefit the March of Dimes. Leading the festivities will be the event’s 2015 Ambassadors, Chris and Katy Blanchette of Branford, along with their children, Patrick, Kellen and Maeve. They will share their family’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) journeys, thank walkers for their commitment to the March of Dimes mission to give all babies a healthy start, and lead the walk with their team, “Kellen’s Heroes.” Since 2012, their March for Babies team has raised over $13,000. Patrick was born full-term in August of 2010 (at then) Saint Raphael’s Hospital before being transferred to Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital (YNHCH) due to having three strokes. “It was a very emotional time, as we had waited for seven years to be blessed with a baby, and to have the doctors unsure of his prognosis was very scary,” said Katy. While full-term, Patrick’s lungs were compromised and he received surfactant to help mature his lungs. Babies with underdeveloped lungs may have respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and struggle to breathe because their immature lungs do not produce enough surfactant, a protein that keeps small air sacs in the lungs from collapsing. March of Dimes grantees helped develop surfactant therapy, which was introduced in 1990. Since then, deaths from RDS have been reduced by half. He remained in the neonatal intensive care unit for two weeks before coming home, and today has cerebral palsy as a result of having three strokes before birth. “Now Patrick is nearing five years old and he loves trains and all things transportation. He has an amazing zest for life and a smile that can light up a room," said Katy. In May 2011, Chris and Katy were elated to be expecting again, when at just 27 weeks pregnant, their son Kellen was born to due to premature rupture of the membranes and a placental abruption. Again in the NICU at YNHCH, Kellen weighed just 2 lbs. 1 oz. Like Patrick, Kellen received surfactant to help mature his lungs and he ultimately spent 163 days in the NICU. Today, while a vibrant three year old, Kellen suffers many complications from his early birth including bronchopulmonary dysplasia (a chronic lung disease), feeding difficulties, and speech and developmental delays. The boys’ sister, Maeve, was born full-term in February 2014, but due to decreased fetal movement during delivery was kept under observation in the NICU at YNHCH for two days. “That was totally unexpected and brought back so many memories,” said Katy. “We were thankful her NICU stay was so short, as it was very emotional.” Each year in Connecticut nearly 40,000 babies in Connecticut are born. 1 in 10 babies are born too soon, and 1 in 7 infant deaths is attributed to a birth defect. The mission of the March of Dimes is to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality through research, education, advocacy and community programs. “Our children are all examples of the miracle of modern medicine and the demonstration of what the scientific research has been able to accomplish. We are not so naive to believe that our children would have had the same outcome even 10 years ago,” said Katy. “We are thankful for the research funded by the March of Dimes.”


Rewards

 
$200
- March for Babies T-shirt
$350
- $15 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card and T-shirt
$500
- $25 Macy's or Kmart Gift Card and T-shirt
$1,000
- $50 Gift Card/Circle of Champions T-shirt/Button
$2,500
- $125 Gift Card/Circle of Champions T-shirt/Button
$5,000
- $250 Gift Card/Circle of Champions T-shirt/Button
$10,000
- $500 Gift Card/Circle of Champions T-shirt/Button
$20,000
- $600 Gift Card/Circle of Champions T-shirt/Button
 

 
RESOURCES
New Haven March for Babies FAQs
Download
 

NATIONAL PARTNERS

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Thank you to our local sponsors

Presenting

Other supporters