National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
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| Formation | January 3, 1938 |
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| Founder | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Headquarters | White Plains, New York, U.S. |
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President
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Stacey D. Stewart |
| Website | marchofdimes.org |
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Formerly called
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March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to combat polio. The name "March of Dimes" was coined by Eddie Cantor. After funding Salk's polio vaccine, the organization expanded its focus to the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality. In 2005, as preterm birth emerged as the leading cause of death for children worldwide, research and prevention of premature birth became the organization's primary focus.
March of Dimes improves the health of mothers and babies through five programming areas: medical research, education of pregnant women, community programs, government advocacy, and support of pregnant women and mothers. The organization provides women and families with educational resources on baby health, pregnancy, preconception and new motherhood, as well as supplying information and support to families in the NICU who are affected by prematurity, birth defects, or other infant health problems.
The organization began in 1938 as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. In 1976 it became known as the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. In 2007, the formal name became the March of Dimes Foundation.
The group was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 3, 1938, as a response to U.S. epidemics of polio, a condition that can leave people with permanent physical disabilities. Roosevelt was himself diagnosed with polio in 1921, and it left him unable to move his legs. The foundation was an alliance between scientists and volunteers, with volunteers raising money to support research and education efforts.
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis was a reconstitution of the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, which Roosevelt and his friend Basil O'Connor founded with other friends in 1927. O'Connor became the foundation's president, a position he held for more than three decades. His first task was to create a network of local chapters that could raise money and deliver aid; more than 3,100 county chapters were established during his tenure.
The name "March of Dimes" — a play on the contemporary radio and newsreel series, The March of Time — was coined by stage, screen and radio star Eddie Cantor. He inspired a nationwide fundraising campaign in the week preceding President Roosevelt's birthday on January 30, 1938. Lapel pins were sold for ten cents each; special features were produced by the motion picture studios and radio industry; and nightclubs and cabarets held dances and contributed a portion of the proceeds. Thousands of people mailed cards and letters, each containing a dime, to the White House. "Many citizens desire to personally show the President they are behind his plan to unify the fight against this disease," said Keith Morgan, chairman of the Committee for the Celebration of the President's Birthday. Cantor's appeal collected more than $85,000 in what the press called "a silver tide which actually swamped the White House."
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