March for Babies: 2011 March Photos, Part 3

More Photos from the 2011 March for Babies, New York Edition

There were a plethora of cuties and a variety of conveyances to keep me amused on my solitary march through the avenues of Gotham.

It was an early morning, even for the little ones.
She's already started on the coffee.

Little kids are so cute.

Both dogs and kids agree, getting a ride makes the day more fun for little feet.
If you get a shoulder up, you get a better view.

March for Babies: 2011 March Photos, Part 2

More Scenes from the 2011 March for Babies, New York Edition

T-shirts and signs:
Check out Ethan's posse of hombres. Big tough guys sauntering through the park, tagged out in support of a good cause.

I felt like I had a little fairy keeping an eye on the proceedings, and hope that Maddie would be proud that I managed to walk all the way through.

There were lovely touches of purple everywhere,

and activities at the finish line for family and friends.

March for Babies: 2011 March Photos, Part 1

2011 March for Babies,

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Overview:

I was very pleased to participate in my first March for Babies last month in New York City. It was a beautiful spring day in the City, as crowds of families, corporate groups, and walkers of all shapes, sizes, ages, and apparently species, gathered together for a good cause.

I got to Lincoln Center relatively early, checked in at registration, got a t-shirt for Tammy, and then headed up to keep an eye on things prior to the official start. There were so many cuties there, as well as obviously invested family and friends. Equally as fun to watch were the large contingents of high school kids, NYC Sanitation workers, big burly bikers and their bitches (and excuse me, I am using the correct terminology here -- as you'll see in the next few posts), Explorers, and hombres and dudes that you would usually be more afraid of in a dark back alley.

Since I was a solitary walker, I waited until the massive wave of walkers, strollers, carts, and wagons seemed to be through the starting balloon arch. Then it was through Central Park and over to the East Side to stroll unimpeded down the center of Lexington Avenue.

Now, I know that I walk fast usually, but when you think about the average speed of little kids, or parents pushing strollers, or pulling wagons, or dealing with doggies, I was a virtual Olympic champion speed-walker. Not only that, I was taking pictures AND carrying on text conversations, while I bobbed and weaved around groups of people. I started at the back of the back at Lincoln Center, slowly dealt with the bottleneck in the Park, and by the time we hit Lexington Avenue, steadily and speedily moved up to the front third of the group.

The view looking south on Lexington Avenue

We ended up at Madison Square Park off of 23rd Street, looking north at the Empire State Building. After passing through the balloon arch, I didn't stick around for any of the family craft activities, but opted to continue my walk back up to Grand Central.

All told, I probably ended up doing a good 4 miles that day, and, thanks to a last minute donation by Amelia, raised a grand total of $640 for the March of Dimes.

Next year, I may (gasp) actually consider training for this thing, and hopefully have more people to walk and talk with me. The pace might be slower, but the important thing is the cause and company.

Thanks again for everyone's support. I definitely will be upping the fund raising goal for 2012.

Please enjoy the next few posts with some of my pictures of the day. I promise cute dogs, babies, pretty purple accents, and many signs of support.

March for Babies: Maddie is why it matters

Today I am honored to be participating in my first fund-raising charity walks, for the March of Dime's March for Babies.

I am inspired by the legacy and memory of a wonderful little sprite of a spirit, Maddie Spohr.

In 2009, just three weeks after her unexpected passing, her parents courageously spoke about how much the March of Dimes had helped them through Maddie's gestation and early days as a preemie.



Originally posted by Heather and Mike Spohr here.

How can you not be inspired by their story, and those of the other families assisted by the March of Dimes? I have contributed in the past to the Spohrs' family team, but this year was motivated to do something of my own.

With thanks to the following family, friends, and colleagues for helping me exceed my personal and Auntie Nettie's Angels team fund-raising goal of $390. Thanks to them, I was proud to add $615 to the March for Babies efforts.

Grandmary ~ Grumpa Max
Alex A. ~ Alithia D.
Barli N. ~ Christine B.
Daniel F. ~ David G.
Jane M. ~ Jenn W.
Jonah E. ~ Lindsey P.
Lisa R. ~ Lori P.
Martha S. ~ Michelle K.
Susan S. ~ Tammy B.
Terence K. ~ Tim G.
Tori B. ~ Vanessa W. ~ Yisset G.

Look for pictures from the March very soon.

YouTube Tuesday: March for Babies May 2011

I interrupt my usual YouTube Tuesday videos to post one with a message.

As an auntie I have been very fortunate that all of my nieces and nephews have been born hale and hearty, including all of the sets of multiples that I am honored to spoil. However, many babies aren't so fortunate. The stresses of prematurity have an impact on the infant and their families for years to come. But you can help.

Won't you join me this year in raising funds for the March of Dimes through the March for Babies, either by supporting them on-line, by building your own fund-raising team, or supporting me and my team, Auntie Nettie's Angels. I have set a very modest individual goal this year, but hope to attract team members to help triple or quadruple that goal. Donations made be made on the tab to the right of this post. (Thanks to those who have already donated or pledged!)

For more information, go to www.marchforbabies.org or www.marchofdimes.com.

Thank you in advance for your support.

in memory of Maddie ... who inspires.