March of Babies raises money for smallest among us

Esther Short — Downtown Vancouver’s Central Park was packed with rolling strollers, families and walking teams of all sorts at the 2014 March for Babies on April 26. About 500 participants joined together in support of our community’s smallest people, raising $85,000 for research and wellness programs related to healthy birth. The Vancouver walk was held in conjunction with eight others throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, bringing in a combined total of $910,000. According to sponsoring organization March of Dimes, 9.8 percent of babies born in Washington are premature; that’s the leading cause of newborn death and can result in lifelong complications including problems with vision and hearing.