On Saturday, April 25th, at Esther Short Park, hundreds of families and business leaders will join together in the March of Dimes annual March for Babies–the nation’s oldest walk fundraiser honoring babies born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive.
The Christoffers family is one of many mission affected families walking this year. Courtney and Matthew were looking forward to starting their family. Nearly five months before their twins were due, Courtney began having contractions. At only 22 weeks gestation, Anthony was born. Three days later Grant was born. Anthony had a massive stroke after his birth and lived for five days. Grant lived for nearly six months. Both boys spent all of their short lives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Courtney and Matthew went on to have three more children, all born full-term. Son Avery is now nine years old, and daughters Lucy and Rosemary are seven and three, respectively. The Christoffers are dedicated to making sure other parents don’t experience the same trauma.
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with the 5k walk kicking off at 9:00 a.m. Participation in March for Babies will provide a memorable and rewarding experience for the whole family. In addition to the 5K walk, other festivities include Kids’ Clinic Workshop hosted by Home Depot, hot dogs after the walk and more. The Clark County March for Babies brings together families, companies and volunteers all raising money so that our babies are born happy and healthy.
Funds raised by March for Babies in Oregon and SW Washington help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, information for families experiencing a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies. Premature birth is the most urgent infant health problem in the U.S. today. It affects nearly half a million babies each year, including 8,372 in Washington.
Join the walk, or if you can’t make it consider a donation at www.marchforbabies.org
