About 100 WalkAmerica volunteers marched to the tune of $30,440 to support research and education for baby health at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital walking track Saturday.
The Greenwood chapter of the March of Dimes topped its 2006 fund-raising total by about $6,000.
Cauy Smith, 14 months, who was born at 28 weeks, was this year's ambassador child for the event. He was there in a blue, plastic cart and ready to be pushed for laps.
His mother, Gay Smith, 35, and others were there as Cauy's Buckaroos. The team met their fund-raising goal of $1,500.
"Without the March of Dimes, a lot of these little preemies wouldn't be here," Smith said.
Jessica Hervey, 24, also came to walk with her son Jackson, 3, literally in tow in a little red wagon.
Hervey was part of the Greenwood Children's Clinic team, created in honor of a co-worker who had a premature child.
Walk chairperson, Cindy Blackburn, called the event a success.
She has been involved with WalkAmerica since 1991, and is Cauy's cousin.
Even though Blackburn had healthy children and grandchildren, she said, she has friends who have had preemies.
"I know how important it is that we do this," she said.
Kids also played in a space jump and got their faces painted by Crown Club members.
After walking, volunteers enjoyed grilled hamburgers, and some left with door prizes donated by local businesses.
The top fund-raising team was Greenwood Leflore Hospital, followed by Viking Range and State Bank and Trust, said Alan Burrow of Jackson, March of Dimes community director for the Mississippi chapter's central division.
In Leflore County, 17 percent of live births are premature, which is a high rate nationally, Burrow said.
The March of Dimes Foundation focuses on preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
The organization targets health care providers and strives for education on topics such as recognizing symptoms of preterm labor, identifying ways an expectant mother should get adequate prenatal care, adequate nutrition and the importance of taking a folic acid supplement.
