For their efforts to fund research and programs that promote healthier pregnancies and bring hope and comfort to families with a sick or premature baby, 10 leading companies were honored today by the March of Dimes.
“We celebrate the important role your company, your employees, and your customers have played in the success of March for Babies, the March of Dimes number one fundraiser, among the three million Americans who participated nationwide,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “Thanks to your generosity, the March of Dimes continues to make strong progress in our mission to improve the health of America’s babies.”
The top ten 2014 corporate teams were:
- Kmart, whose associates and customers raised $11.15 million. Tim Austin, Kmart’s senior vice president of Retail Services, served as the 2014 national chair of March for Babies.
- Publix Super Markets, Incorporated, whose customers and associates raised more than $5.7 million, $300,000 more than last this year.
- Macy’s, which raised $2.91 million in its annual Shop For A Cause program, of which the March of Dimes was the national in-store beneficiary.
- Famous Footwear, which raised $1.60 million, more than $126,000 over its 2013 total. The company also received the March of Dimes 2014 Chairman’s Volunteer Leadership Award in recognition of its 12 years of partnership.
- Citi, which raised $1.3 million.
- United Auto Workers, which raised $928,014, nearly $100,000 more than last year.
- Cigna, which raised $922,130.
- Cisco Systems, which raised $894,435.
- GE, which raised $879,811.
- H-E-B, which raised $745,542, more than $70,000 over 2013.
Among the programs funded by March for Babies:
- March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centers, pioneering new ways to do research, utilizing a team approach that brings together hundreds of brilliant minds from many different disciplines to speed up the discovery of the unknown causes of premature birth.
- Local programs that help moms get the access to group prenatal care and services to reduce risks during pregnancy, and professional and public education.
- More than 92,000 families in 132 hospitals nationwide getting the comfort and support they need through the NICU Family Support® program.
- Education for moms-to-be in the bookstore, the app store, healthcare provider’s offices, online, and on television to help ensure their babies get the best possible start in life, including learning the benefits of waiting until at least 39 weeks before scheduling an elective delivery.
The 2014 March for Babies was sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Macy’s, Famous Footwear, Cigna, Sanofi Pasteur, Mission Pharmacal, United Airlines, and Actavis.