On Friday, the Troup March for Babies held its kickoff luncheon, signaling the beginning of fundraising efforts for its annual walk, which will be held in May. 

If you don’t know, March for Babies is an organization through March of Dimes, which raises money to ensure healthy births for all moms and babies. 

According to its website, March of Dimes is working to “level the playing field for all moms and babies regardless of age, socio-economic background or demographics.”

It was touching to hear numerous people tell their personal stories on Friday. Stephanie and James Jackson shared the story of their son, Jay, who was born premature at 25 weeks. A shot given to Jay hours before birth helped develop Jay’s lungs and was funded by March of Dimes research. While the shot did not  have the recommended full time to work it likely had an impact. Jay spent 62 days in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit before being released from the hospital and is doing well now. He attended Friday’s fundraising kickoff. 

Unfortunately, Jay’s story is a familiar one. 

About 1 in every 10 births in the United States are premature, meaning they occur before 37 weeks, and complications from premature birth are the No. 1 cause of death of babies in the United States. March for Babies is trying to change that through fundraisers held all around the country, including here in LaGrange.

March for Babies will hold its annual walk on May 4 at Hollis Hand Elementary School. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the walk will start at 10 a.m. It’s not too late to get a team together to help raise funding. 

According to the March for Babies website, the goal is to raise $120,000. Right now, about a fourth of that goal has been raised.

For more information, visit Marchforbabies.org.