NW Georgia March For Babies Set For Friday In Cartersville

From March of Dimes: The 2017 Northwest Georgia March for Babies, presented by Surya, is scheduled for this Friday, May 5at Dellinger Park in Cartersville. The event is a celebration of a community campaign focused on raising funds to support the March of Dimes and their mission to fight premature birth – the number one killer of babies, birth defects and infant mortality.

For several months, family, community, and business teams in Bartow and Calhoun counties have conducted fundraisers for one of the oldest, most respected non-profit organizations in the country. Along with Surya, local businesses including Georgia Power, Publix, Cartersville Medical Center, Georgia Bone & Joint Surgeons, Harbin Clinic, Gordon Hospital, All God’s Children Pediatrics, Citizens of Georgia Power, Georgia Highlands College, Cartersville Elks Lodge #1969 and American Legion Post #47 support the annual campaign as sponsors. The event is supported nationally by HCA, Publix, Macy’s, Cigna, K-Mart and Famous Footwear.

America’s favorite walking event will begin at Dellinger Park with registration at 5:00 p.m. The opening ceremony and walk begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by a hot dog picnic provided by Publix and festival features, including a Memory Garden, a Wishing Tree, Mission Moments along the route, a Kids Fun Zone and Face Painting by Mindy the Clown. Adding to the excitement will be the Cartersville High School drum line and Georgia Highlands College dance team. The presentation of colors will be provided by Cass High School JROTC cadets with Tracy Greenway singing our national anthem. A pre-walk warm-up will be led by Georgia Bone & Joint Surgeons staff.

Delivering the invocation will be Elder Tony Davis, grandfather of the 2017 Northwest Georgia Ambassador, Lillian Faith Smith. Lillian, born 11 weeks premature, spent more than 2 months in the hospital. She is now 16 months old and thriving.

“Last year’s campaign raised over $83,000 and we’re already on track to surpass our goal this year,” said Laura Walton, 2017 Northwest Georgia Mountains chair. “We’re so grateful to our sponsors, teams, schools and volunteers who support March for Babies and look forward to celebrating our success on Friday.”

Bank Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 3 from 11:00 am. until 1:00 p.m. at Georgia Bank and Trust in Cartersville for individuals or teams who need to turn in money raised.

For more information about March for Babies or to make a donation, please visit www.marchforbabies.org.

Image Courtesy of March of Dimes