March of Dimes' March for Babies Event a Success

March is long over, but in the past month the March for Babies Walk and other events related to the charity have been taking place in over 900 communities across the country.

March for Babies is a fundraiser put together by the March of Dimes organization to help raise money to support preterm babies and help mothers get the information they need to encourage healthy, full-term pregnancies.

Since 1970, the walk has raised over $2 billion that goes towards new research and treatment for birth defects, advanced screening for diseases, nutritional education for mothers and much more.

With a projected 7 million participants this year, which includes company teams, family teams and national sponsors, the walk may have had its best year ever. Kmart, the top national sponsor of March of Dimes, took to the streets early to promote the walk with a Babies on Broadway event in Times Square that featured Broadway stars in attendance and a 12-foot replica dime. Singer and American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson lent her fame to the cause, participating in a Dallas March for Babies walk.

Celebrities aside, groups large and small raised funds in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (an exact tally is not yet available), and equally as important, raised awareness about preterm babies and the help that is out there for parents. Defined as any birth that occurs before 37 weeks, instances of preterm birth have grown by 36 percent in the United States since the 1980s.