As the Nassau County honorary chairwoman for the March of Dimes March for Babies, formerly known as WalkAmerica, I am very pleased to be a part of this wonderful organization that has helped save millions of babies from birth defects, low birth weight and death.

Town of Hempstead employees have been raising money for the March of Dimes for more than 10 years. Last year the team raised over $10,000. Participating in this fundraising event has united town employees in a profound way. They are enthusiastic about working together for this worthwhile cause, and I would like to invite town residents to join in the effort.

For 70 years, the March of Dimes has been raising funds to support cutting edge research and innovative programs that help save babies' lives. One area where they have made a dramatic positive impact is in the prevention of neural tube birth defects (spina bifada). The March of Dimes has taught the public that taking folic acid while pregnant helps prevent spina bifada.

Every day in the United States, more than 1,350 babies are born prematurely. One of the many goals of the March of Dimes' campaign is to assist health care practitioners in improving prematurity risk detection by addressing risk-associated factors and by educating pregnant women and their families on how to recognize signs of pre-term labor.

March for Babies is the March of Dimes' largest fundraiser. The walk is fun and has helped save hundreds of thousands of babies from premature birth and other health problems.

This year the walk is Sunday, April 27 at 9 a.m. (check-in begins at 8 a.m.). The Town of Hempstead team will be walking at Eisenhower Park, parking field 6-6A in East Meadow. Any residents interested in joining me and the town team can call the March of Dimes at 1-800-525-9255 or visit the website at www.marchforbabies.org. I hope town residents will join us in helping to give babies a healthy start and use their feet to give premature babies a hand.