Walking for a cause

Every mile walked by hundreds of March of Dimes supporters on Saturday was for one reason: ensuring Hawaii’s babies are born healthy, strong and at full-term.

People of all ages, backgrounds, marital status and genders took to the downtown Kailua-Kona area to raise funds for local and national March of Dimes efforts. The March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization with local and national ties aimed at improving infant health and preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

“A child’s life is a gift, and you should always cherish it,” said Waimea resident Krystle Umeda, who took part in the walk with her three children; her mother, Laurie Umeda. Krystle Umeda’s sister-in-law, Ui Napoleon, and her own child also participated.

“It’s all for the kids and helping the children, but also to support the parents because sometimes it just happens even if you try to be healthy (while pregnant),” Krystle Umeda said.

The three, along with more than 200 others,took to Alii Drive Saturday morning to raise money for March of Dimes Hawaii’s various community, education and support programs. The March for Babies Kona 2012 stretched from Hale Halawai to Makala Boulevard — about four miles.

Originally created in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to find a cure for polio, the March of Dimes changed its mission in the late 1950s to research, community services, education and advocacy to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

According to the organization’s 2011 Premature Birth Report Cards based on 2009 data, Hawaii earned a C rating with about 12.6 percent of births — or one in eight — not being at full-term, which is 37 to 40 weeks. That’s up from a D in 2010.

The United States as a whole also earned a C for its 12.2 percent of births being premature, according to the organization. By 2020, it hopes to reduce the national rate to 9.6 percent.

The March for Babies, formerly known as WalkAmerica, is held worldwide to raise money to support research and local programs aimed at doing just that. Since 1970, an estimated $2 billion has been raised, according to March of Dimes.

Kona March of Dimes volunteer Rhoda Torres, whose child was born at 24 weeks, hoped the event would raise about $30,000 for the organization’s local, state and national efforts. That money, she said, will help others like her.

“I am indebted to the March of Dimes and the research they’ve done,” she said. “Without them, my little guy, who is now 6, wouldn’t have survived and be perfect today.”

About 30 percent of the estimated $650,000 the statewide walks will raise is used for researching what causes premature birth, potential interventions and better detection methods, said Carmella Hernandez, Hawaii Chapter March of Dimes state director, who noted a full-term pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. The rest stays here for local programs, she noted.

In Hawaii, the organization helps educate residents and medical personnel, provides community grants and supports families that must travel to Oahu to have a newborn cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit. It does all that on a $1.2 million annual budget, she said.

“We just try and support the families as best we can because in most cases the parents are a wreck” when it happens, she said. “With the walks accounting for 50 percent of the budget, it’s our most important fundraising event.”

For Kayzel Gutierrez, the March of Dimes’ local support was tremendously helpful when her son, Riley Tossman, now 2, was born at 27 weeks, or just near the end of the second trimester. A team of eight calling itself “Riley’s Monkeys” marched in his honor to support the organization’s efforts.

“They helped me through it all at the hospital,” she said. “It’s for the kids, all for the kids.”

For more information on the March of Dimes Hawaii Chapter or to donate, visit marchofdimes.com/hawaii.