For more information please contact Enna Whitted (248) 808-2823.
Still want to help us? FUND THE MISSION
All March of Dimes Signature Chefs events will be held virtually this year. While we may not be together in person, we rely on your continued support to provide innovative programs and services for moms, moms-to-be and babies who may be at a greater risk of becoming sick and not receiving proper or equitable care.
The chefs, volunteers and guests who make up our Signature Chefs Events community are coming together in new, innovative ways to suport moms and babies this year.
We are following state mandated guidelines in response to COVID-19 and will not have an in-person event this year. So, we are preparing an exciting, new Virtual Gala for your 2020 March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction experience!
We need your help now more than ever. Your support funds:
Every year, 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide, and 1 million will die before their first birthday. Your gift helps the March of Dimes fund research, education, advocacy and programs that help more moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.
We help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. If something goes wrong, we offer information and comfort to families. We research the problems that threaten our babies and work on preventing them. With your help we will continue to support services for thousands of pregnant women and families. Our local grantees include the Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti and the University of Michigan Medical School to name a few. Every baby is born to do something great. Thanks to you, they can be born strong and healthy. Your Fund the Mission Gift at Signature Chefs will help us move closer to our goal of saving babies from being born too soon or with a birth defect. Contributions for Federal Income Tax Purposes are deductible in accordance with applicable law. March of Dimes Federal Identification Number is 13-1846366.
Together we can give them tomorrow Premature birth is the most serious infant health problem in the United States today. It is, in fact, the #1 killer of babies. It affects more than half a million babies nationwide each year, with over 15,000 in Michigan alone. The U.S. preterm birth rate is still too high at 9.6 percent—higher than that of most developed nations—while Michigan’s preterm birth rate is even higher at 9.9 percent. Premature birth costs society more than $26 billion a year. Babies born just a few weeks early are at risk of severe health problems and lifelong disabilities, taking an extreme toll on families emotionally and financially. In 2016-2017, the March of Dimes granted $1.3 million for programs, research and services in Michigan. The funds provide prenatal education for doctors and nurses at community hospitals, as well as the award-winning March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program. March of Dimes grantees in Michigan are positively impacting birth outcomes. Each partner is conducting a program that will increase preconception and prenatal health knowledge, positively change behavior and/or increase positive birth outcomes. We are grateful to work with committed partners in an effort to give every family a chance at a happy, healthy start.
March of Dimes Michigan has heavily invested in group prenatal care with our partners across the state. This innovative approach to prenatal care has produced significant improvement in not only babies being born at term, but also Mom and baby thrive in bonding, increased breastfeeding, and healthy weight gain and brain development.
March of Dimes is strategically funding programs that promote health equity among different racial/ethnic groups. African American babies are two times more likely to be born premature more than their Caucasian counterparts. Michigan funds programs that address social determinates of health to increase the rate of African American babies born full term.
Leading preventable causes of premature birth in Michigan include: tobacco use during pregnancy, lack of health education, good health status prior to pregnancy and a lack of access to proven interventions for women with prior preterm birth such as progesterone (17P) shots.
Michigan Investment goals 1. Decrease Smoking during pregnancy 2. Increase the use of 17P in indicated pregancies through reducing barriers, cost and insurance limitations 3. Encourage, through education, Mom's to space births 18 months apart
Through partnerships with companies, organizations and individuals, the March of Dimes is able to create unique moments for your clients, vendors and leadership teams. They participate in an exclusive dining event while supporting a critical cause. Sponsorship opportunities are available at a variety of levels for our Signature Chefs events, providing you with brand recognition, civic engagement and an exclusive client entertainment opportunity within the event. We look forward to working with you to discuss your partnership with the March of Dimes.
Signature Chefs events feature local culinary talent who create a selection of fine cuisine for an exclusive audience. Our chefs are artists, innovators and philanthropists, and we look forward to sharing their talents at the event. Participating Restaurants and Caterers Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest Gandy Dancer Mediterrano Mélange Moveable Feast Red Rock Downtown Barbecue The Inn at St. John's The Common Grill The Polo Fields Wok Asian Bistro
View our updated event acknowledgements and waivers here.
