Hundreds of families and business leaders will join together April 18 at Wailoa State Park in the March of Dimes’ annual March for Babies — the nation’s oldest fundraising walk.
Hundreds of families and business leaders will join together April 18 at Wailoa State Park in the March of Dimes’ annual March for Babies — the nation’s oldest fundraising walk.
This year’s Hilo Ambassador Team is Anela’s Family. Eric and Erika Boyd were so excited to become parents and looking forward to growing their family. At 30 weeks, Erika went into premature labor. She delivered Anela‘okalani seven weeks early, and “Anela” spent 14 days in the newborn intensive care unit of the Kapiolani Medical Center before going home.
Today, Anela‘okalani is a vibrant 2-year-old, and the Boyd family is dedicated to making sure other parents don’t experience the same trauma, and have the same happy ending.
The Boyd family is joined by Eden Patino, the Hilo 2015 March for Babies coordinator who knows how important the March of Dimes mission is to families.
Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in this country. As a parent, Patino wanted to raise awareness and funds to prevent premature birth and give more moms a healthy baby.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. with the 2.25-mile walk kicking off at 7:45. Participation in the Hilo March for Babies will provide a memorable and rewarding day for the whole family.
The event includes a performance from Puna Taiko and keiki ID’s will be available.
To register, visit www.marchforbabies.org. Funds raised by March for Babies in Hawaii help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, newborn intensive care unit family support programs and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.
For more than 75 years, the March of Dimes has been committed to funding research to find the answers to problems that continue to threaten the lives and the health of babies.