Baily S.
Cousins Allyson B., 8, Bailey S., 11, and William B., 6, have been a part
of the March of Dimes ever since they were babies. When they were younger,
their mothers called the shots, but for the past three years they have
been organizers themselves.
Allyson, Bailey and William spent most of their earliest years showing
their support for March of Dimes by participating in walks or collecting
and donating money. But they wanted to do more, so three years ago they
decided to host a bake sale at the Vincennes Save-A-Lot.
What motivated them? “I wanted to help because I think all babies
deserve a chance,” said Allyson. “I wanted to help babies
get the medicines they need so they won’t get sick,” added
Bailey. “I love babies!” exclaimed William. “And the
bake sale is fun every year.”
This past year, the trio raised over $270 for Good Samaritan Hospital’s
March of Dimes team. “I was truly impressed to see such young children
so dedicated to raising money for the March of Dimes,” said Meagan
Decker, women’s and children’s nurse manager and March of
Dimes organizer at Good Samaritan Hospital. “They were so excited
to be helping not only the Good Samaritan Hospital organization but also
the community in the fight to help babies. Their support of the March
of Dimes directly supports our community as we strive for healthy babies.”
Their mothers became involved in the March of Dimes after concerns about
their own pregnancies. “Bailey was a week early and William was
delivered three weeks early,” explained their mother, Shannon. “Knowing
that they could have been born earlier and how different things could
be now made it meaningful to us to help the March of Dimes.”
Now, the children have reasons of their own to help the March of Dimes,
and their mothers couldn’t be happier. “We are both really
proud of all of them for wanting to start a bake sale and raise money
on their own,” states Allyson’s mother, Susan. “They
encourage and support each other,” added Shannon. “They tell
each other they have caring hearts and sometimes argue over who has the
biggest heart.”
The group is excited for 2015 and have started to make plans. “I
want to raise more money this year by having another bake sale or even
going door to door,” Allyson said. “I want to set a higher
goal for next year and try to beat it,” Bailey said. “Yeah,
I want to do that too,” added William.
Although they have different ideas about what they want to be when they
grow up (Allyson and Bailey want to be March of Dimes doctors, and William
wants to be a professional baseball player) they agree that they will
never stop supporting the March of Dimes. “It’s important
to help others,” Allyson said. “You never know when you may
need help yourself.”