Local Businesses Join Together,
Wearing ‘Blue Jeans for Babies’

Over 300 Chittenden Bank employees across Vermont pulled on their jeans last Friday to promote healthier babies. In partnership with the March of Dimes, Chittenden Bank launched their "Blue Jeans for Babies" campaign across all of their 51 branches and other bank offices.

"In Randolph, we had 100% participation," reported branch manager Sarah Baker. Each participating staff member contributed at least $5 to their local "March for Babies" campaign to earn the privilege of wearing jeans to work on Friday.

In Randolph, two other local businesses, Gifford Medical Center and Randolph National Bank joined in the Blue Jeans for Babies challenge.

"We’ve already raised over $375 for healthier babies," reported Tammy Hammond, a March for Babies committee member working at Gifford. The White River Credit Union, Gifford Medical Center and Randolph National Bank were the top three corporate supporters of the March of Dimes in the Randolph area in 2007.

This year staff and volunteers are launching their "March for Babies "community fundraising events in 15 communities around Vermont from April 26-May 10. The walk in Randolph is this Sunday, April 27 at VTC. Check in is at 8 a.m. in the Shape Center and the walk starts at 9 a.m. Door prizes, t-shirts and other incentives are available to all participants at various levels of fundraising. For more information call 1-800-696-9255.

The Vermont Chapter of the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies through research, education, advocacy and community programs. In March, the group issued a grant of $396,000 to the UVM College of Medicine to advance research on the cause and prevention of premature birth, currently threatening the lives of half a million babies in the U.S. each year.

____________