Giving Thanks

We did it! And although we are in the middle of an April heat wave as the temperature rose to about 95 degrees by the end of the walk, it was very welcome weather compared to our last 2 cold & rainy walks for Team Ava Marie. We finished our 5 miles in just 1 hour and enjoyed the day, the dogs who also walked and the crowd - all there to save babies!

I have such amazing family and friends who continue to support us each year with our walk. As I raise money I hear more and more personal stories from both friends and strangers about how the March of Dimes has personally affected them. It's comforting in a way to hear those stories and to know that others know exactly the feelings that motivate our walk each year.

I created our team in 2006 because I felt I needed to do something after our NICU stay. When we completed our first walk with Ava at 9 months old I still hadn't made sense of everything that had happened and she still hadn't made a 100% recovery yet. But walking that year and being with the other NICU families helped get my emotions in check.

We continue to walk each year to give thanks for the chance Ava was given and to give hope for all the babies to come. The March of Dimes also touches every family everywhere, even those whose babies were born healthy. And for that we give thanks. Every dollar we raise, every step we take, we are making progress.

Thank you to all who contributed toward our $1,307 raised for Team Ava Marie in 2009. Every dollar counts! Our total contribution since our first walk in 2006/2007 is $3,754.91. Again, thank you to everyone who makes it possible for us to give back.