Advertising senior Katie Bean, prenursing sophomore Jamie Guild and animal science senior Briana Blomstrom lead the start of the March of Dimes 5K on Oct. 26, 2013, by the Auditorium. The 5K was a fundraiser to support the adopt-a-family program of Sparrow Hopital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. Georgina De Moya/The State News
For the first time on campus, the MSU March of Dimes, or MOD, held its third-annual 5K for Babies on Saturday to contribute to six years of raising awareness.
The organization has been working to prevent premature births and birth defects and provide MSU students the opportunity to contribute to the worldwide fight against premature birth — an opportunity human resource management sophomore and MOD member Danica Desgranges said she could not pass up.
“(My twin sister and I) were six weeks premature and my sister had jaundice ,” Desgranges said. “The number of babies born premature is astounding. We try to raise awareness to mothers about premature birth and what can be done to prevent it.”
Advertising senior Jenna Stoewsand, who ran the 5K with her roommates, said this year’s 5K was a step towards raising awareness.
“It gets people who aren’t involved aware,” Stoewsand said. “You see people running on campus and it makes people ask what it’s for. It definitely gets the word out.”
Bringing out both students and residents, psychology senior and MOD president Katie Terrill said this year’s 5K had a great turnout despite the harsh winds, hail and rain Saturday, with 15 to 20 more people showing up compared to previous years.
Between registration fees and donations, Terrill said MOD raised $445 through the event.
The proceeds from the 5K go to adopting, or sponsoring, a family for the holidays selected from Sparrow’s Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, a unit for premature newborn babies and sick full-term babies.
Desgranges said she was happy the proceeds are going to a family from the NICU, a unit she and her sister were in as infants.
“It’s amazing to know that we can help a family in the same situation that mine was in 20 years ago,” Desgranges said.
As this academic year will be her last with MOD, Terrill said she and the other members are working tirelessly to create events including giving NICU tours, a graduation project fundraiser in April and volunteering at Lansing’s MOD Signature Chefs Auction Nov. 11.
The MSU MOD also will be participating in a March for Babies 5K walk in Lansing this spring, one of the many 5Ks being held simultaniously with other cities across the country.
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