A March of Dimes participant hugs Jean Hinchen Williams, co-chair of March of Dimes and Zeta Beta Phi Tyler chapter president, during the walk on Saturday. (Raquel Villatoro/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

On Saturday morning, people of all ages gathered for the March of Dimes at Southside Park to bring awareness to infant mortality and premature babies.

The sun was out, music was blaring from DJ Kat Daddy, and purple was everywhere in a show of support for the movement.

For March of Dimes Chairperson Dorinda Henderson Williams, the march is important because she has premature babies in her family.

“It was really important to me to make sure that babies had their basic steps in life,” Williams said. “When one ended up with cerebral palsy, we had to teach her how to walk. Now with this going on … [it’s] bringing more awareness to the community and get the people more engaged who are trying to learn about the root cause and share that with others. So we all can grow together with knowledge and power.”

According to the organization’s website, the story of March of Dimes spans over 80 years and “is one based upon the human drive to help those in great need,” the website states. “It began with the fight against polio, continued with the prevention of birth defects and evolved to an organization dedicated to creating a world of healthy moms and strong babies.”

The local Tyler chapter started the March of Dimes in 2017.

When Williams was bringing the march back to Tyler, she went into the community and sought out agencies who help children and their moms. This is how she found Healthy Me Healthy Steps. She joined their coalition as a board member. Having resources like Healthy Me Healthy Babies along with Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Tyler is important to serve low-income families living in the area.

“We have a lot of moms that need education with their pregnancy, need education on the … pre and postpartum pregnancy,” Williams said. “People need that education regarding how they’re going to care for the kids and care for themselves during that time, that stage of their life.”

Local organizations for children had booths at the event including Champions for Children of Smith County, Angel Layettes, and East Texas CASA.

Ahead of the march, Jean Hinchen Williams, co-chair of March of Dimes and Zeta Phi Beta Tyler chapter president, spoke and allowed other speakers to talk. Stuart Hene, City of Tyler Councilmember for District 1, proclaimed Saturday, June 1, 2024 as March for Babies Day on behalf of Tyler Mayor Don Warren. Hene encouraged everyone to support their efforts every day to fight against premature births.

Cynthia Matlock shared her story ahead of the race. She recently became a grandmother to a premature baby, who weighed about one and half pounds at birth. When the baby came home, she weighed 4.12 pounds. She remembers a time where the resources available today for premature babies were not available in Tyler. She is grateful her grandchild was able to come home on Tuesday.

“I’m so glad [her parents] were able to go up there every day, touch the baby [and] help her to develop,” Matlock said. “Her name is Savannah Jordan Matlock. So I’ll say you’re doing a good job, keep supporting March of Dimes.”

Texas is rated at a D minus for premature births and infant mortality. In order to address this, it is important for moms to lead healthy lifestyles. This includes no smoking, no alcohol and eating well. In addition, moms should monitor their blood pressure. At the march, they offered blood pressure checks, Jean said. She wishes people understood how having a premature baby affects the community.

“Because whenever you have a mom that has a baby, then that’s taking that person, time and resources as well as for the infant child because sometimes they have challenges that are physical, or even intellectual or mental,” Jean said.

Premature births average 1 in 10 in the United States. In East Texas, the average is higher at 11.2 out of 100. One of the big factors for African-Americans is preeclampsia, which is often not treated. This is why March of Dimes works on ways to screen for preeclampsia. If preeclampsia is prevented, almost 20% of premature births would be prevented, said Beth Knott, March of Dimes Executive Director, DFW Market Impact.

“It’s super important that we understand what causes premature birth because premature birth is directly related to infant mortality. So we want to stop premature birth and so that we can stop infant mortality,” Knott said.

Last year, March of Dimes advocated for Medicaid to expand coverage for pregnancies. They were able to get coverage from two months to 12 months after pregnancy, Knott said.

The Tyler March for Dimes has raised $2,455 and their goal for this year is $7,000. To donate to the Tyler March for Dimes, visit https://www.marchforbabies.org/EventInfo/?EventID=22604.