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The March of Dimes, #imbornto, And MAN, I Was Cute.

April 28, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Pals, you might have noticed that I’ve been laying off of brands and campaign partners lately. With my Dad’s cancer treatments and devastating decline, I’ll be honest with you: Not a heck of a lot struck me as worth my brain space and, actually, felt eyeball-gratingly superficial.

So you’ve got to trust me when I say that I jumped at the chance to work with the March of Dimes. My reasons are threefold:

  • My Dad’s recent death has brought the gift of life and living into stark focus.
  • Susannah spent the first night of her life in the NICU. One night. And I was a wreck. My heart shreds for friends of mine who’ve taken up residency in those halls and rooms.
  • And I was born 6 weeks early. That was back in 1980, when sonograms looked like they came from space.

Did you know that one baby is born prematurely in the United States every minute? And approximately 72 die each year before their first birthday. The March of Dimes’ new campaign is called #imbornto – as in, each and every baby is born to do something unique and wonderful- so I thought I’d take a little bit of time to tell you what I know about that.

  • Jasper was born to take things apart, especially if there’s wiring involved. (Hopefully he was also born to learn to put them back together. Or get a full ride to a spiffy trade school. I’m not picky.)
  • Susannah was born to hang upside down and possess a smile that both soothes and strikes fear at the same time.
  • Nora was born to create the world’s best snuggling nook/one-person-only clubhouse/library of epic proportions. It’s going to be incredible. I only pray that she lets me in, too.
  • And me? I was born to diffuse, to lighten, to share, (to overshare), and to tell a story that- halfway through its telling- you’ll wonder if it’s 100% true (and then decide that it doesn’t really matter).

The March of Dimes was founded by FDR in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis with a mission to eradicate polio (which was successful!), and guess what? If you were born in the last 75 years, you’re a March of Dimes baby! Here’s what they’re working on right this moment- and why that’s so wonderful:

  • Brain: ensuring that babies are born full-term (as the brain needs a full 39 weeks to develop)
  • Lungs: Surfactant and nitric oxide therapies have saved lives of many premies!
  • Smile: A gene has been identified for oral cleft and treatments are currently in the works!
  • Spine: Folic acid education has ensured that fewer babies are born with neural tube defects.

And we ain’t just talkin’ about premies, either! Ever receive the Polio vaccine? Take a prenatal vitamin during pregnancy? Or received an APGAR score immediately after birth? Then yep, you’ve benefitted from the March of Dimes, too. So onto the terrific #imbornto campaign! That li’l hashtag right there is connecting millions of consumers to some pretty spiffy partners:

Ever heard of Martha Stewart? How about her pal, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse? Throughout the Mother’s and Father’s Day seasons, simply add a donation to any check at participating Emeril Restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Charlotte. Even easier? Upload a baby pic, add a caption about what you’re thankful for (and make sure to include the hashtag #thx2u), and watch as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Meredith Corporation makes a ten dollar donation. PEOPLE. THAT IS SO EASY.

Feeling shoppy? Go play here- and reap the rewards:

And stay tuned, pals! I get to host a darn spiffy party with lots of fun stuff from these partners- and plan on featuring a few of my gorgeous, brilliant, and savvy friends.

After I ply them with plenty of wine.

Clearly, I was also born to have big hair and wear suspenders. Also undergo braces.

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