March of Dimes National Ambassador Visits New Jersey

By March of Dimes
The March of Dimes National Ambassador Aidan Lamothe visited New Jersey last week with his mother Jill Teeters. They are encouraging people to participate in the March of Dimes’ largest fundraiser, March for Babies, by making appearances at New Jersey March for Babies company sponsors.
Born 12 weeks early, Aidan weighed just 3 lbs. and spent 7 weeks in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Even as a very young child, he understood how serious it is to be born prematurely and decided he wanted to volunteer to tell his story to help other kids. He and his family visit the NICU every year on his birthday, to honor the doctors and nurses who saved his life. Aidan, and so many other premature babies, wouldn’t have survived without specialized treatment in the NICU, developed in part by research funded by the March of Dimes. Today, Aidan is an adventurous 6-year-old who loves playing baseball, playing the piano, and doing gymnastics. He’s proud to serve as the 2014 National Ambassador and is traveling the country with his parents, Jill Teeters and David Lamothe, to help raise funds and awareness of premature birth.
"Aidan would not be where he is today without the knowledge, equipment and treatments available as a result of research supported by the March of Dimes March for Babies," said David Lamothe, Aidan’s father. "Volunteering for the March of Dimes has allowed us to give back on behalf of Aidan healthy start and has opened our eyes to the breadth of health issues facing parents and their newborn children." 
On the first day of his tour, Aidan and his mother visited AmeriHealth New Jersey in Cranbury. On Tuesday, they began their day at The University Hospital, UMDNJ in Newark, and then visited Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, Regal Bank in West Orange, and KPMG in Montvale.  Wednesday’s visits included Wilentz, Goldman and Spitzer in Woodbridge, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch and Mercer County Government in Trenton. On Thursday they toured Virtua in Mt Holly, Famous Footwear in Marlton and National March for Babies Sponsor Kmart in Moorestown.  They finished their visits on Friday when they went to State March for Babies Sponsor PSEG in Edison. At every visit Aidan met with executives and company team walkers to share his story and thank everyone for their commitment to the March of Dimes. 
“It was a privilege hosting the Lamothe family in New Jersey for five days. Their story was truly inspirational and motivated our walkers and sponsors to kick off the 2014 March for Babies season,” said Addy Bonet, State Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the March of Dimes. 
During his national tour, Aidan will get to visit the White House and meet President Barack Obama.  He will also get to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. 
March for Babies is the March of Dimes’ premier fundraising event.  To find a walk near you in New Jersey, visit marchforbabies.org.