March for Babies Campaign Kicks Off in Toccoa

Stephens County kicks off its annual March for Babies campaign to benefit the March of Dimes.

The kick-off event for this year’s campaign took place on Friday at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Toccoa.

March of Dimes Community Manager Meg Loggins said the kick-off event allows people an opportunity to find out what the March of Dimes and the March for Babies is about and how they can get involved and help.

Also, Loggins said the annual kick-off event gives them a chance to introduce Stephens County’s ambassador family for 2015.

“They are the Sanders family,” said Loggins. “Catherine and Brett Sanders unfortunately had a daughter born premature and stayed in the NICU for 30 days, so we have graciously invited them to be our ambassador family. We are so lucky.”

Brett Sanders said that he and his family are thrilled to be representing the March of Dimes as this year’s ambassador family in Stephens County.

“We have always thought a lot of the March of Dimes but you really do not get to see the benefits of what they do, the research that they fund until you get to experience it first hand,” said Sanders. “We are just really excited and pleased that they asked us to be a part of it.”

Sanders went on to say that the March of Dimes helped his family when it needed it after a premature birth.

“We actually got to spend almost a month in the NICU in Gainesville,” said Sanders. “We are so thankful for the wonderful nurses, the wonderful doctors, the wonderful research that enabled her to be home with us right now. We are just looking forward to the future. She is doing wonderful now. She is four months old now and gaining weight.”

This year’s Stephens County March for Babies is taking place on Saturday, September 26 at Boyd Field in downtown Toccoa.

All of the money raised through the March for Babies benefits the March of Dimes.

The mission of the March of Dimes nationwide is to improve the health of babies, specifically targeting pre-mature births.

For more information on getting involved in the March for Babies in Stephens County, call Loggins at 770-601-5701 or e-mail [email protected].