Giving every baby a healthy startsm Annual Report 2006 Table of Contents Officers’ Letter .............................. 2 Research Unraveling Medical Mysteries ................... 4 Education Empowering Parents ............................... 7 Services Engaging the Community....................... 10 Advocacy Rallying the Nation ............................... 13 Volunteers Advancing the Mission ........................... 16 Partners Supporting the Vision ............................ 20 Donors ........................................... 23 Financial Highlights ................... 37 Boards, Committees and Chapters ............................... 40 The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. © Rune Hellestad/Corbis Officers‘ Letter Every parent wants a healthy baby. It is perhaps mankind’s most profound desire. But, for many parents, it is not a reality. The March of Dimes mission is to make it so … to give every baby a healthy start. Thanks to the dedication and efforts of our volunteers and donors, 2006 was a year of major steps forward for the health of babies. A solid finish of nearly $245 million in revenue made this the fourth consecutive year we’ve ended with a strong margin. That means more research, more programs and, ultimately, more babies born healthy. Whether in the research lab, the local community, or the halls of government, the March of Dimes is there to fight for families and babies. In the Research Lab communities with educational materials about having healthy, Pivotal to our work to give babies a healthy start is research to full-term pregnancies and Grand Rounds sessions educated health identify causes and preventive strategies for threats to infant professionals about identifying and treating pregnant women at health. Premature birth is the biggest threat to babies today, high risk for premature delivery. jeopardizing the lives and health of more than half-a-million babies in the U.S. each year. One-third of the March of Dimes research Every year, more than 400,000 premature or sick babies require portfolio focuses on the complex and growing problem of prema- lifesaving treatment in neonatal intensive care units. Their families, turity and its consequences. In 2004, the March of Dimes created dazed and distraught, need all the emotional support and informa- ® the Prematurity Research Initiative (PRI) to provide grants for tion they can get. The March of Dimes NICU Family Support innovative research focusing on the role of genetics and genomics program, now in 42 sites across the nation, provides onsite staff in premature birth. Since then, 20 outstanding researchers and educational materials to help these families as they watch their (including eight in early 2007) have received PRI grants totaling precious baby struggle to survive. The program also includes a $7.1 million. In addition, in 2006, the March of Dimes invested NICU Web site and an online community for NICU families nearly $27 million in research studies of key questions in develop- (shareyourstory.org) which has been nominated for a “Webby mental biology related to birth defects and other causes of death Award” as one of the five best Community Sites in the world. We and disability in newborns. The year ended on a high note when intend to have NICU Family Support projects in 100 locations by two former March of Dimes research grantees were awarded December, 2010. Nobel Prizes, bringing to 13 the total number of our grantees who have received the Prize. In partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute and the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the March of In Local Communities Dimes launched a six-site prematurity prevention initiative in Kentucky. The goal is to determine if “bundling” together proven March of Dimes chapters across the country addressed the interventions can lower the rate of preventable preterm births by growing problem of premature birth in their local communities 15 percent over three years. If successful, the $1.6 million project through an array of services and education programs. More than will serve as a model for programs in high-risk areas around $8.7 million in grants were provided to community organizations the country. to meet specific needs of local families, such as access to prenatal care and programs to stop smoking. Chapters blanketed their 2 In November, we marked our 4th annual Prematurity Awareness our commitment to volunteers in 2006 by establishing the March Month to remind the public that premature birth continues to be of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Institute (VLI). Under the leader- a national crisis in our country. The month launched with a press ship of former trustee Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, granddaughter of conference announcing a new public health education initiative March of Dimes founder Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Institute will featuring Tony Award-winning, black recording artist Heather provide training and leadership development opportunities with Headley. Black women have nearly twice the rate of premature pilot programs beginning in 2007. births of white women. Heather’s message to women: There are things you can do to help reduce your risk, beginning with a Though 2006 was a year of successes, many of which are preconception checkup. Overall, Prematurity Awareness Month highlighted in this annual report, the March of Dimes has yet generated massive media attention and a wide array of activities much work to do to reach the day when every baby gets a healthy across the country — including the lighting of 150 buildings and start, when every parent knows the joy of having a healthy baby. landmarks in pink and blue! All told, the March of Dimes But it is with confidence built on a history of achievement, and reached some 17.6 million women this year with messages determination inspired by the first fierce cry of a healthy newborn about healthy childbearing. that we move forward toward our goal. In the Halls of Government March of Dimes volunteers achieved a major victory in the fight to prevent premature birth this year when the PREEMIE Act was signed into law, culminating three years of dedicated and deter- mined advocacy efforts. The Act will increase funding for Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President prematurity research and accelerate the development of new strategies for preventing premature birth and for treating babies who are born too soon. James E. Sproull, Jr., Esq., Chairman of the Board 2006 also saw a landmark in newborn screening: As of July, 31 states screened newborns for 21 or more of the 29 serious but preventable health conditions recommended by the March of Dimes and the American Academy of Pediatrics. If not diagnosed and treated early, these conditions can result in mental retarda- tion, serious health problems or even death. Thanks once again to March of Dimes volunteers, nearly two-thirds of all babies born in the U.S. are screened at birth for the 21 or more core conditions and can receive lifesaving treatment if needed. On the Volunteer Front March of Dimes volunteers have always been our most valuable asset, nurturing and growing them a top priority. Cognizant of the increasingly competitive volunteer arena, we formalized 3 s e g a m I y t t e G / k c o c a e Research P © Unraveling Medical Mysteries March of Dimes Researchers Win Nobel Prizes Research has been the foundation of March of Dimes efforts to improve human health since its founding by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938. The victory over polio confirmed scientific investigation as a winning strategy, and over the years March of Dimes research grantees have made discoveries that improved the health of babies. It is a source of immense pride that 13 March of Dimes grantees have received Nobel Prizes over the past six decades. In fact, 2006 saw the awarding of Nobel Prizes to two former March of Dimes grantees for their groundbreaking discoveries on RNA (ribonucleic acid), the lesser known cousin of DNA (deoxyri- bonucleic acid), the material that contains our genes. DNA forms © Laguna Design/Science Photo Library the blueprint for who we are, but it is RNA that turns these plans into action. Roger D. Kornberg, PhD, professor of Structural Biology and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Craig Mello, PhD, professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, shared this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 4 s e g had just finished checking her blood sugar level when he received a m I y t the news of his Nobel award. Now his startling findings, using a t e G / k millimeter-long worm, may lead to novel treatments that may make c o c a e the future even brighter for his daughter, and many others with P © birth defects and a wide range of other conditions. While Dr. Kornberg revealed how a gene speaks, Dr. Mello learned how to silence a gene. Dr. Mello (working along with his colleague Dr. Andrew Fire, who shared the Nobel Prize) discovered a mecha- nism called RNA interference (or RNAi) that is used by cells to shut down a gene. They found that a special kind of RNA molecule (double-stranded RNA) could trigger the destruction of messenger RNA molecules so the cell cannot make the protein. This powerful laboratory tool has revolutionized biomedical and genetic research. Scientists now routinely use RNAi to silence Like Father, Like Son specific genes to learn their role in various birth defects and other In 1959, when he was 12 years old, Dr. Kornberg traveled to diseases, like cancer. Someday soon, scientists may be able to har- Stockholm to see his father, Arthur Kornberg, win the Nobel Prize ness this technique to treat some birth defects and many cancers by in Physiology or Medicine. The elder Dr. Kornberg discovered turning off harmful genes.