March of Dimes Youth Times

   E-mail Newsletter: Back to School 2007

 

For those of you who get a pleasant rush of adrenaline when your e-mail says you have a new post on your Facebook wall, I have stellar news for you! Thanks to the new Facebook Cause application, you can now get even more e-mails from your Facebook account as you recruit friends to join the cause, Save Premature Babies, or raise money to benefit the March of Dimes.

Showing your support for the March of Dimes via Facebook is an excellent way to spread awareness about the problem of premature birth. Utilizing March of Dimes Facebook groups is also a great way to take part in the March of Dimes new youth fundraising campaign: Change for America's Babies.SM For more information, go to marchofdimes.com/change.

Happy Fundraising,
Kaylen Mallard
Chair, National Youth Council

 

WalkAmerica

Feature Story
Join Our New Coin Campaign!
By Teagan Bigwood

 

 

Attention, TeamYouth kids! Did you know that the average household has more than $99 in spare change, and that there is more than $10.5 billion in spare change in the entire United States?!

"Really?" you may ask."Well, what can I do with spare change?" Most of the time it just sits in a pile going unused. So donate your spare change to the 2007 CHANGE FOR AMERICA'S BABIESSM CAMPAIGN!

Last year, thanks to the help of generous TeamYouth volunteers like you, the March of Dimes raised more than $132,000 through coin campaigns to help give every baby a healthy start! Let's raise even more this year!

How do we raise the roof on last year's numbers?!?! Your school, at any time of the year, is a great place to start organizing a coin campaign. You and your classmates can come together to fundraise and create a positive change for our babies!

Here are some fun fundraising ideas to get you started:

  • A Coin Drive: It's as simple as you and your classmates putting out containers to collect coins!
  • Mile of Dimes® Event: On the day of the event, you and your classmates will lay out one mile of ribbon. Lay out the dimes you have collected side by side on the ribbon. If your ribbon is full, that means you have raised more than $9,000 for the March of Dimes. CONGRATULATIONS!
  • Host a "Cookies for Coins" Day: Set up outside your cafeteria, and when someone gives your school a donation for the March of Dimes, you give them a tasty treat - like a cookie!
  • Penny War Contest: See which class can raise the most number of pennies for America's babies!

High school and college students, parents, advisors and teachers: You can play a role in raising change to help America's babies as well. Bring the fundraiser to the local elementary or middle school and watch the kids' energy flow as the change for babies builds!

Visit marchofdimes.com/change for more campaign and fundraising information!

 

Prematurity

National Brief
Saving Babies 2.0!
by Allison Hauser

 

 

42,000+ members and growing daily... what is it? Our biggest Facebook Cause, Save Premature Babies! Just click on the link to join if you have a Facebook account. You can also create events for your March of Dimes fundraisers; add the March of Dimes Team Youth to your friends list or join the March of Dimes Team Youth group. Got other ideas? Shoot them to us at teamyouth@marchofdimes.com! And be on the lookout for cool new happenings in early September!

Facebook not your thing? We've updated our March of Dimes Team Youth MySpace page also! Add us as your friend and leave a comment on our wall... and keep checking back to see what's new for youth volunteers.

And don't forget the Team Youth messageboards, a place to share with other teens and college students what the March of Dimes and volunteering means to you. You can get great fundraising ideas or just ask a question.

 

 

Project of the Month

 

 

Teen 2 Teen

 

 

 

Teen-2-Teen

Teens talk to teens about healthy lifestyles, healthy babies and making a difference. Check out the videos on the March of Dimes Team Youth site or at YouTube.

Students or adults can use these video segments to educate teens about the March of Dimes mission and about health messages that matter to teens.

Download a presenter's guide; it contains lesson plans, icebreakers, quizzes and more for each of the three healthy lifestyles segments! Then, let us know what you think.

 

Grants & Scholarships

Good Neighbor Service Learning Grants

 

State Farm and Youth Service America are offering the annual State Farm Good Neighbor Service Learning Grant for youth.

These grants of up to $1,000 support youth (ages 5-25), teachers, or service-learning coordinators in implementing projects for Global Youth Service Day 2008

To learn more and download an application, visit the Youth Service America Web site.

Deadline: Oct 16, 2007

GameStop Youth Grant

Do Something and GameStop have teamed up to give grants of $500 to anyone in the U.S. age 25 or under who has a great idea for a community action project. They give a grant each week!

Talk to your local March of Dimes about your project idea (enter your ZIP code on the Team Youth Web site). Then apply online!

 

Save the date for 2007! Prematurity Awareness Day is November 13

 

 

???

Did You Know...
Nearly 90 percent of all babies born in the United States – more than double the percentage in 2005 – live in states that require screening for at least 21 life-threatening disorders, according to the latest March of Dimes Newborn Screening Report Card.

 

 

Learn more about Team Youth and our Partners:
 



 

March of Dimes
1275 Mamaroneck Ave.
White Plains, NY 10605