Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008

Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 1

Again, Dan Schrock and Patrick Sullivan lead Farmers efforts to “Be a Hero for Babies Day” in MichiganOn June 3rd, Michigan rose to the occasion and became heroes for babies. For the third consecutive year, Farmers insurance agents led efforts in Michigan and across America for the company’s “Be a Hero for Babies Day,” raising more than $3.2 million nationwide. The money will support March of Dimes research and education to help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. Hundreds of Farmers agents in Michigan contributed to this noteworthy philanthropic achievement. Michigan Farmers Agents turned out to build a brighter future for all families by having Farmers Golf outings, a Texas Holdum Tourney, a car wash at and a BBQ/can & coin drive in Lansing on

Be A Hero for Babies Day – June 3rd. On behalf of the babies and families who will benefit from your compassion and commitment, the March of Dimes wants to thank everyone who met the challenge of “Be a Hero for Babies Day” and made it a success. Farmers agents and their supporters are all heroes for the more than half million babies born too soon and we thank them for their generosity.

Kmart’s commitment to the March of Dimes and the cause of healthy babies Kmart is the March of Dimes longest standing corporate partner and contributor to its mission. Over the past 24 years, Kmart has raised more than $63 million to help the charity meet the needs of moms and babies. Once again, Kmart customers could sign up in stores to participate in March for Babies, formerly known as WalkAmerica. Thanks Kmart!

Michigan March of DimesOffices

Ann Arbor455 E. Eisenhower, #75Ann Arbor, MI 48108Phone: (734) 761-6331

Flint/SaginawG3237 Beecher Road, Suite GFlint, MI 48532Phone: (810) 230-2855

Grand Rapids3351 Claystone St., SE Suite G20Grand Rapids, MI 49546Phone: (616) 247-6861

Kalamazoo1930 West Milham Road, Suite APortage, MI 49024Phone: (269) 343-5586

Lansing2450 Delhi Commerce Drive Suite #9BHolt, MI 48842Phone: (517) 699-4863

Marquette1055 West Baraga AvenueMarquette, MI 49855Phone: (906) 228-6942

Port Huron511 Fort Street, #250Port Huron, MI 48060Phone: (810) 982-0177

Traverse City733 East 8th Street, #208Traverse City, MI 49686Phone: (231) 947-2488

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(from L to R) Larry Hilditch, Brian Seipel, Michael Tumpane, and Dan Schrock from Farmer’s Insurance, and Thom Campbell of Bristol West Insurance Group enjoy the Be a Hero for Babies Day cookout and soda can drive.

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Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 2

Thank You for Your

Support!

United by the same hopeYou saw them walking shoulder by shoulder with you, they stood by you, you listened to their stories and felt that invisible connection that reminded you one more time that you walked together for the same dream.

The photos on their t-shirts, decorated strollers and family team signs helped you to connect with the March of Dimes. Like you, they fundraised by organizing bake sales, going door to door in their neighborhood and by placing baby bottles for a coin drive on their desks at work. According to the most recent data, Michigan Family Teams ran 12th in the nation in fundraising.

470 Family Teams rose over $329,000 and their donations are still coming in.

Being part of something extraordinary…In the Cadillac March for Babies family team, Ronnie Gravlin was the top family team this year!

At the March for Babies event in Traverse City Family Teams enjoyed balloon animals made by the clown. The bounce house, face painting, and team signs were a huge hit and yes, they also had a cake.

Family teams in Jackson also had a great time! They put colored note cards on a string and handed out candy, toys and stickers. Team Hankis, the top family team ran the team tent. You guys did a great job.

Cameron Bosma of Team Natalie was ecstatic to receive the award for Top Youth Walker in Holland. Cameron rose over $2,500 in honor of his cousin who was born prematurely.

Family Team Mikayla Rose geared up to walk at Foremost Insurance (Grand Rapids – South) and were ready to help save babies!

Team Hancock participated in their third March for Babies this year at Hines Park. They walk in honor of Norah Hancock who was born premature and suffered from respiratory distress syndrome. She was given surfactant therapy which saved her life. Team Hancock raised $3425.

Team “20 Fingers 20 Toes” took first prize in the Stroller/Wagon decorating contest at Kensington Metropark in Livingston County. The Family teams’ tent had an arts & craft table for the children, mission signs, cotton candy and popcorn. Special thanks to the Gurwin Family and the other Family teams that put it all together.

Monroe’s March for Babies family team tent was a big hit. Families could participate in the activities while reading stories about how prematurity has affected local families. Capri Martinez and Mary Ferguson organized the festivities for the tent.

Over 12,500 support March for Babies in MichiganOur volunteers and Team Captains joined together by the thousands to raise more than $3.3 million across Michigan for March for Babies, formerly known as WalkAmerica. March for Babies benefits all babies—those born healthy as well as those who need help to survive and thrive. Thank you to all of our volunteers and participants, who made this another successful year and we look forward to increasing those efforts again next year. Watch for March for Babies in 2009!

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Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 3

Sponsors Energy And Enthusiasm Were The Feelings At Hines Park!March for Babies in Hines Park was once again a success. Veteran teams joined forces with newcomers and laced up their sneakers to give all babies a healthy start. This year was also a milestone for family teams, who are the heart of our mission.

Ford Motor Company was proud to return as the site sponsor this year, providing giveaways and of course bringing new cars for display. As the returning start sponsor, Flagstar Bank greeted walkers with their signature red balloons, giveaways and plenty of enthusiasm. Walkers were welcomed to a fun-filled day by emcees from News/Talk 760 WJR and 96.3 WDVD.

Along the six mile route walkers were greeted to veteran checkpoint’s Kohl’s and FedEx and new participant Community Alliance Credit Union. The highlight of this annual event is the award for best checkpoint, and while Kohl’s and Community Alliance proved to be tough competition, in the end FedEx was the overall winner, with a live DJ and creative cruise theme. At the finish, walkers were greeted by energy and enthusiasm from UAW Region 1A and tons of finish line goodies.

March for Babies would not have been such a success if it weren’t for our sponsors:

Food Sponsor; Kiwanis Club of Plymouth, Mile Marker Sponsor; Omron Automotive, Mom’s Club of Plymouth, Dentemax, Canine Corner; DoodyCalls, Banner Sponsors; Delta Dental, and TCF Bank; Beverage Sponsor, Coca-Cola and Festival Zone Sponsor; AT&T Yellow Pages.

A special thank you to everyone who came out to be a champion for all babies.

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Hines Park March for Babies 2008 walkers

Metro Beach - A Great Day For A Walk!Metro Beach March for Babies 2008 was a definite success! The walkers were in high spirits, and the food and festivities were unforgettable.

We were pleased to have many sponsors and speakers supporting the Metro Beach March for Babies. GM Tech Center returned for their third year as the site sponsor, Start Sponsor was Flagstar Bank, Chrysler was our Route/Finish Sponsor, Refreshment Sponsor, UAW Region 1 supported by Local 1264, our Mission Partner, Bank of America, Banner Sponsors were TCF Bank and Delta Dental. Thank you for your support! Thank you to News Talk 760/WJR, 96.3 WDVD, and DOUG FM 93.1 for your support as well!

This year’s program began with our Board Chair Tom Szczepanski welcoming everyone to March for Babies ‘08, and Dick Hafner from WJR and Scott Vertical from WDVD kept the program running smoothly.

Our check point sponsors were Your Local Credit Unions, Fitzgerald High School, and Kindercare all cheering the walkers on to the finish. Bagnasco and Calcattera Funeral Homes, Brick Layers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1, Community Central Bank were counting down the miles walked as our Mile Marker Sponsors. Our mission sign sponsor was Bruce’s post VFW Men’s Auxiliary. And big thanks to Coca-Cola for bringing their great product out to Metro Beach.

Thank you sponsors, walkers, and volunteers for your support and dedication to the March of Dimes, with your help we are able to strive to give every baby a health start! We look forward to your return at next year’s March for Babies!

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Local Credit Unions, Metro East Chapter to show support and patriotic spirit!!

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Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 4

New Name, New Route, Big Success!Change was in the air for March for Babies Detroit this year and it couldn’t have been better. A new route, new name and some fabulous new checkpoints really made for a memorable day.

This year, UAW-GM was not only site sponsor, but also hosted a fabulous checkpoint along the Riverwalk. UAW/Chrysler also did double duty as gold sponsor and won best checkpoint, too! City of Detroit started off with a special treat, the Cass Tech Pep Squad, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity finished off the walk with a D.J., carousel rides and as always, lots of spirit!

Ian Marshall, our ambassador child, and his family shared their story of how March of Dimes has made a difference in their lives. The Marshall family also headed up the family team tent.

A special thanks goes out to DMC, our entertainment sponsor, UAW Region 1 for hosting the Registration tent and Region 1A for being our finish sponsor. Another big thanks goes to Coca-Cola for supplying the beverages, Delta Dental for being a banner sponsor and AT&T Yellow Pages for sponsoring our Festival Zone and Bank of America for being our mission partner.

A big thank you to all of our walkers and volunteers for making March for Babies Detroit such a huge success!

Participants enjoy the new route along the RiverWalk

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We couldn’t do it without our volunteers!

A Great Day For A Walk In TroyWalkers, teams and sponsors all came out on a beautiful sunny day to support the March of Dimes in the fight to save babies by participating in March for Babies. Thank you goes out to Doeren Mayhew for returning as our Registration sponsor, to Flagstar Bank for once again getting everyone off on the right foot as our Start sponsor, to the Detroit Shock who joined us again to sign autographs and take photos, and to Oakland County and our honorary chair L. Brooks Patterson for hosting the VIP tent.

After a great program emceed by Lloyd Jackson from WJR and Carl Anthony of WDVD, the Troy Fire Department and Sparky the Fire Dog led the way for the walkers to begin their 8 Mile walk to save babies!

Along the way, walkers were greeted by some familiar faces as they stopped by checkpoints all run by returning sponsors. Special thank you to Kmart, Chrysler Financial, Plante & Moran and Kelly Services-the winner of favorite checkpoint!

Upon return, walkers and teams were greeted by some new sights this year, including tents sponsored by Lear Corporation, Dana Holding Corporation, and AT&T Yellow Pages. Our Family Teams tent was packed with activities for kids along with reminders of why everyone came out to support the March for Babies. Thank you also goes out to returning sponsor UAW Region 1A for the always busy food tent, to Coca-Cola for bringing an assortment of tasty beverages and to Toyoda Gosei for again ensuring that each walker got a bright yellow thank you bag upon their return.

A big thank you to the City of Troy and Oakland County and to all the volunteers and committee members, without whom the walk could not continue to be such a success. Thank you to all who came out-volunteers, teams, walkers and sponsors, thank you for being a champion for babies!Helping hands at the

Kmart checkpoint

Troy walkers are ready to go!

UAW Chrysler NTC checkpoint

Detroit March for Babiesstarts here!

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Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 5

Beautiful Day For 2008 Monroe March For BabiesIt should come as no surprise that the Monroe March for Babies hit a record for number of participants in 2008. Lake Erie was smooth as glass as Darcy Merritt and Kim Daniels, representing the Monroe Advisory Committee Board, greeted over 750 walkers and sponsors at the beach at Sterling State Park. Speakers visited the VIP tent while walkers enjoyed coffee provided by the Salvation Army.

The day started with sun and fun when the start ribbon was cut by Capri Martinez, a family team captain, for a Babies First Start. Flagstar Bank passed out their eye-catching red balloons and the crowd took off along the route. Families and teams enjoyed 4 amazing checkpoints sponsored by Guardian Industries, Key Bank, UAW Region 1A, and FedEx Kinko’s.

After the four mile march, participants visited the La-Z-Boy Family Team tent, ate pizza and Maggie Moos ice cream, and enjoyed beverages provided by Coca-Cola. Kids had fun jumping on the moonwalk and having their face painted. The Mercy Memorial Mission tent provided health information and giveaways for everyone-thanks to our DTE volunteers. TV’s Karaoke emceed the program and motivated participants with upbeat music. Thank you to the Advisory Board Committee Members and all our volunteers for another successful event.

Marchers getting ready for the 3 mile walk

Family Team Tent “Racing to find a cure

for prematurity”

Look at me now after being born too soon

Family Team Tent

ese

March On Hudson Mills! Big hearts and boundless energy were the overwhelming feeling of the day. An amazing crowd of nearly 3,500 “marched” in support of March for Babies with the purpose of giving all babies a healthy start.

Over 100 Family Teams walked at Hudson Mills to celebrate, honor and remember the special babies in their lives and families! This year 30 “Our Story” signs lined the beginning of the route. The signs, a favorite of walkers, were sponsored by local businesses and showed a photo and quote from a family team, succeeding in the effort to bringing a local name and face with the reality of premature birth.

The Festival Zone was packed with fun company sponsored activities for families and kids - Toyota Family Team Tent, TCF Bank Family Fun Tent, IHA CARES Foundation and IHA Prematurity Tent, Bank of America Mission Signs, Flagstar Start Tent, GM Powertrain & UAW Local 735 Registration, AT&T Yellow Pages, Sam’s Club, Cueter Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Ypsilanti Area Jaycees, Babies R Us, Farmers Insurance and Liberty Tax. A special thank you to Chrysler & UAW Local 1284 for sponsoring the food pavilion.

Along the route fantastic checkpoints took walkers from one Disney movie to another – Key Bank’s version of Finding Nemo, ProQest’s Lion King and Golden Limo’s The Incredibles. We hope no one missed out on the Bearclaw Coffee, Coca-Cola, Fuze, Domino’s Pizza, ColdStone Creamery cakes, cotton candy, airbrush tattoos, spin art, Pioneer High School’s Obstacle Course and Jim Bradley’s rock climbing wall!

Also deserving special mention for their tremendous support are McNaughton & Gunn, Malloy Incorporated, Varsity Ford, Citimortgage, Russell Video, TV’s Karaoke & DJ, Ann Arbor Radio and Ann Arbor News.

name and face with the

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Walkers pass the 30 Our Story Signs along the route

Family Team t-shirt for the O.K. Twins

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Sylvia Vogl: Wonderful Friend of the March of DimesFor over 20 year now, Lavonda Reid and her family and friends have traveled from all over the United States to greet hungry Detroit walkers with hot dogs and a smile. This year, one among them was absent, but not forgotten. The group would like to dedicate their 2008 volunteer efforts to the memory of Sylvia Vogl, a longtime champion for babies. Her service to the March of Dimes will continue through her children, grandchildren and friends. We would like to thank Sylvia Vogl for her longtime dedication to the March of Dimes. She will be dearly missed.

Books For Babies Reading has long been linked to learning in babies, but now students at Maire Elementary are using reading to make them healthy as well. March was Reading Champions Month at this Grosse Pointe school and children read to raise money to help the March of Dimes further their mission for healthy babies.

Students were asked to collect donations for each book they read, and the two with the highest number of books read as well as the highest fundraiser got a pizza party for their class. This year, however, there was a bigger incentive. The final numbers are not in just yet, however, if the school doubles last year’s almost $7,500 raised, one female and one male teacher have agreed to shave their heads! No matter what happens, everyone’s a winner. Every student leaves with one of three medals and the money they raise goes to help the March of Dimes be a champion for all babies. If your school would like more information on Reading Champions, contact Erin Burdzinski at (248)-359-1575 or eburdzinski@marchofdimes.com.

Kensington Metro Park A Success In ‘08!We did it! The first March for Babies at Kensington Metro Park was fantastic! We decided to throw the party at Maple Beach and everything went great!

The park was beautiful and ready to welcome us all and what a welcome! Thank you Jackie Gurwin for making the Family Teams Tent a great success; the activities, the Starbucks Coffee and stroller decorating area were enjoyed by everyone!

Almost 1,000 of you made Kensington the place to host your first Family Picnic of the year! Flagstar Bank pulled double duty getting everyone off to a great start and welcoming them back after their 4 miles walk. Kohl’s bears and books were a huge hit. Another great addition to the route this year was our Memorial Garden; Moms, Dads, cousins and grandpas remembered the angels who inspire us all.

A special Thank You to our battalion of sponsors: Presenting sponsor, Farmers Insurance; Start Sponsor, Flagstar Bank; Food Sponsor, Carrabba’s Italian Grill; and Coca-Cola Festival Zone Sponsor, Sam’s Club and Family Fun, U of M Brighton Health Center.

On the route, Farmers Insurance, CS Partners, Kensington Woods High School, Kohl’s, Brighton Rotary, Refrigeration Research, Dairy Queen, Micro Works Computing, Inc. and Farm Bureau Insurance took care of walkers by encouraging them along the way.

A special thank you to Bank of America, Kelly Services, The Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, Comcast and Ameriprise Financial for sponsoring our mission signs. From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank our volunteers, the Brighton Area Jaycees, the Axis Group, the Brighton Interact and the Brighton High School Football team for your helping hands.

And to our generous in-kind sponsors, Kensington Metro Park, Golden Limousine, McDonald’s, Target and Linda Michele-Dobel Photography, a million thanks for your time and dedication.

Conner’s crew – Family team and stroller

decorating contender

Etna Supply – Wixom Team

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Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 7

We found out we were expecting Carter January 2006. What a surprise! Carter was going to be baby number four! Autumn, Ashlynn and Austin were all very excited to welcome their new baby into the family. However, Austin was beside himself with excitement because he was ready to finally have a brother.

We all worked hard during the summer of 2006. Carter’s Dad was working hard to be able to get Carter’s nursery ready. He insisted on the highest quality baby furniture so that meant working more hours to pay for it. We had an artist paint Carter’s name coming out of an airplane on his nursery wall and decorated the room with all the nicest things a little boy could ever need or want.

Austin, Autumn and Ashlynn took a class at the local hospital to learn how to care for a new baby and were counting down the days until they could get to use their new skills on their brother. Carter’s Nana and a couple friends

threw us a baby shower. We all had such a great time celebrating the impending birth of Carter and enjoying each others company.

Soon school started and Carter was due to arrive September 20, 2006. We all worked hard to get the house ready and waited anxiously for the big moment to come. On September 14th I had a doctor’s appointment and everything looked great. Later

that night when everyone had gone to bed I noticed that Carter hadn’t been kicking. I was exhausted so I just thought he was running out of room in there and went to sleep. A few hours later I woke up to what I thought were contractions. We all waited a few hours for the contractions to get worse but they really weren’t getting unbearable yet. So, I decided to take a shower. It was then where I knew something was wrong. My contractions froze

and I was unable to move. The pain was excruciating. Somehow we were able to get to the hospital within 15 minutes.

When we arrived I was unable to walk. Thinking that the baby was coming fast my husband found a wheelchair and rushed me off to labor and delivery. After getting set up into a room they tried to find a heartbeat. They decided to do an ultrasound which showed that our sweet Carter’s heart had stopped beating. It was then that the doctor told us I had a placental abruption and we had lost him. Carter was born a few hours later at 8:39am weighing 7lbs 6oz.

My husband had the terrible job of telling Carter’s Grandma, Papa and Nana arriving at the hospital, anxious to meet their new grandson, that he had passed away. That morning the kids were taken out of school expecting to come to the hospital to meet their little brother. Instead, we had to break their hearts and tell them that Carter had passed away. We then moved the curtain so that they could see their little brother and say goodbye to him. For 2 days Carter had many visitors who rocked, kissed and hugged his precious lifeless body. Because he had passed away shortly before being born he looked like a perfect, sleeping baby.

On September 19, 2006 Carter was buried at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy. With him he had a picture of our family, his Dad’s paint brush, letters from our family, a special cup from Nana, and a blanket that Grandma had made for him. Carter also wore a bracelet that his brother, Austin, made for him.

We look forward to the day when we can all be a complete family again in Heaven. Until then, everything precious in life reminds us of our sweet Carter.

www.preciouscarter.com

Carter’s Story

In 2008, for the first time, the family team Carter’s Crew joined

March for Babies to raise funds to

support the mission of the March of Dimes walking in memory of

little Carter and the family was gracious

enough to share their story here.

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Carter’s Crew begins their walk.

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Rolland Walt: Life Long SupporterRolland Walt from Farmington Hills remembers walking when March for Babies, formally WalkAmerica, was 26 miles, in which he walked every single mile. He has since continued walking in the March for Babies event for the past 36 years. For the past few years he has been walking at the Hines Park location. Rolland is someone who is wholeheartedly dedicated to the mission of the March of Dimes and is truly a life long supporter.

Rolland Walt and daughter Judy at Hines Park March for Babies 2008

U of M Stop at the HealthWalk.

James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., dean of the Medical School, with area students who participated in the 2007 HealthWalk.

UMHS Teams Up With March of Dimes For Ninth Annual HealthWalkHealthWalk is an educational community event organized in November as one of the main events of March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness Month. Twenty-two educational stations will display information related to women and children’s health issues. Safety and your child is the highlighted theme this year.

The event is part of a large effort to educate the public about our mission and the type of care provided at UMHS. The University of Michigan is working very hard to help babies that are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect as well as their families. Many people don’t know how much is being done; this walk gives them the opportunity to learn, share and gather information.

Featured this year is Mark Pearlman, M.D. He is an expert on safety and speaks about the importance of wearing seat belts when you are pregnant.

Thursday, November 13, 2008Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Complimentary Lunch and T-shirt)Open to the public

Sponsorship Opportunities ranging from $1,000 - $10,000

For more information, please call Enna Whitted at 734.761.6331

Four Points Sheraton Ann ArborMonday, November 17, 20086:00 – 9:00 PM

Tickets: $150, Tables of 10: $1,500, Benefactor Ticket $200Sponsorships ranging from $3,000 - $15,000

Chairmen: Dr. Daniel and Madelyn McMurtrieCo-Chairmen: Bruce and Linda ThomsonHonoree: Albert Berriz, McKinleyLead Chef: Thad Gilles of Logan, An American ResturantHonorary Chef: Brandon Johns of The Chop House

• Over 25 of the area’s finest restaurants & chefs

• Silent and Live Auctions featuring imaginative, once-in-a-lifetime experiences created by the chefs

Contact: Hillary Simmet 734-761-6331hsimmet@marchofdimes.com

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Metro Detroit Signature ChefsMonday, November 10, 2008Location: TBD6:00 – 9:00 PM

Tickets: $125, Tables of Ten: $1,250Sponsorships ranging from $2,500 - $10,000

Honorary Chairs: Matt and Karen CullenOver 15 of the area’s finest restaurants and chefsSilent and Live auction items featuring once in a lifetime experiences created by the chefs and unique travel packages

Contact: Danielle Smith 248-359-1553 dssmith@marchofdimes.com

25th Silver Anniversary

Alexander Macomb Citizens of The Year Awards DinnerFriday, October 24, 2008, 6:00 PMFern Hill Golf and Country Club, Clinton Twp, MI 48038

Tickets $125Sponsorships and Program Book advertisements availableFantastic raffle and auction prizes

Come celebrate the 25th Silver Anniversary and help us re-honor our past honorees. The theme of the evening will be “Dancing with the Stars of Macomb County”. Dinner, dancing and entertainment to be enjoyed by all.

Contact: Stephanie Shelters 248-359-1564 or sshelters@marchofdimes.com

WJR and Frank Beckmann present the ArvinMeritor Golf Classic benefiting the March of DimesTuesday, August 19, 2007Indianwood Golf & Country Club, Lake OrionRegistration: 8:30AMShotgun Start: 9:45AM

Corporate Teams (5 playing spots) are $2,500Sponsorships and Program Ads available

Contact Sara Martin 248-359-1566 or smartin@marchofdimes.com

Your day will include:

• A round of golf on one of the two renowned Indianwood golf courses

• Use of a golf cart

• Locker room privileges

• Breakfast, Lunch and refreshments during play

• Cocktail hour and buffet dinner

• Commemorative Gift

• Live and silent auctions

• Commemorative program book

National Athletic AwardsThe 20th Annual Dodge National Athletic Awards were held on May 12th at the Detroit Athletic Club. Former University of Michigan Head Football Coach Lloyd Carr received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Allison Schmidt and Mitch Zajac were named the DAC Michigan High School Athletes of the Year. Tiffany Ofili and Jeff Lerg were named the DAC Michigan College Athletes of the Year. The event was hosted by Steve Garagiola.

Contact Katie Koch 248-359-1557 or kkoch@marchofdimes.com

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Southeast Michigan Vol:2 2008 : 10SSoSouththutheaseast Mt Mt Mt i hi hichiiigan V lV lV lVol 222:2 2020202008080808 111: 1000

March for Babies 2008 State SponsorsSpecial thanks to Flagstar Bank again this year for their continued support for our March for Babies event this year. Flagstar Bank has committed to be a multi-state partner for the next three years by hosting the start sponsorships throughout Michigan, Indiana & Georgia. We want to express our appreciation to Coca-Cola Enterprises for their state-wide partnership in support of March for Babies. We are looking forward to growing our partnership with the Coca-Cola Enterprises in 2009! We were proud to have Bank of America (formerly LaSalle Bank) back this year as our statewide mission partner for March for Babies. Through our CWA/ATT partnership, we were able to connect with the ATT Yellow Pages Group. They will be giving the March of Dimes a full page ad in all eight million yellow pages books throughout the state of Michigan and the ATT Yellow Pages group also sponsored ten March for Babies sites throughout the state. Thanks to all of our state sponsors! We also want to thank Blue Cross Blue Shield again for their support as our state-wide mission partnership.

Great Year for Michigan Youth Council (MYC)The Michigan Youth Council is an outstanding group of young people. Since its inception in October of 2005, the MYC has worked to give every baby its chance for a healthy start in life by raising funds through the Coin Campaign, March for Babies, Annual Giving, Premature Awareness Day and participation with the Chapter Volunteer Leadership Conference which includes Lobby Day at the Capitol, NICU Tour and a day of informational sessions.

This highly motivated council is comprised of youth from the ages of 14-21 who, even with the demands of today’s world, still find time to be champions for all babies. We are fortunate to have our youth Advisor Kristen Bryant, a NICU nurse and three of our youth attending the March of Dimes

National Youth Conference at Georgia Tech. in Atlanta, GA from July 29-August 2. The work of the MYC is done solely by conference calls and one face-to-face meeting. See how you can become involved. Call Sharon Gwizdowski today at 248-359-1556 email sgwizdowski@marchofdimes.comor check www.marchofdimesyouth.com for additional youth information.

AT&T Real Yellow Pages at Hart Plaza, downtown Detroit

Katelyn Jackson speaks on behalf of Coca-Cola Hudson Mills

Flagstar table of supporters at Hart Plaza, downtown Detroit

Richard E. Smith, MD, Elected President-Elect of Michigan State Medical SocietyRichard E. Smith, MD, a West Bloomfield obstetrician/gynecologist and longtime March of Dimes volunteer and supporter, was elected president-elect of the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) during the 143rd annual meeting of the MSMS House of Delegates on May 2nd in Dearborn. Doctor Smith will serve a one-year term as president-elect and then will be installed as president of the 15,000-member MSMS in April 2009.

Doctor Smith is the Service Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Henry Ford Hospital and Director of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. A sixth-generation Michiganian and graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, Doctor Smith completed his residency at Wayne State University. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association and the Detroit Medical Society. Doctor Smith serves on the Greater Detroit Area Health Council Board of Directors, on the Governor’s Task Force on Teen Pregnancy Prevention and as a member of the Southeast Michigan March of Dimes Board of Directors. The Michigan State Medical Society is the statewide professional association of 15,000 medical doctors in Michigan affiliated with the American Medical Association. Physician policies on various issues involving public health, health care delivery and medical ethics are set at the annual MSMS House of Delegates meeting. Congratulations Dr. Smith!