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.”