Thank you for supporting
Signature Chefs Auction, Vero Beach

Ravyn Yukina Horst was born via emergency classical c-section at 24 weeks and 2 days gestation, due to mother Meghan Miroslaw having an untreated infection. Weighing only 1 lb., 9.9 oz. at birth, Ravyn had a PDA, a bilateral brain bleed, and may other issues to overcome in the family’s Level 3 NICU journey lasting 138 days. Although her delivering doctor gave her less than a 20% chance of survival at birth, mom and dad, Stetsyn Horst, brought Ravyn home after nearly five months, weighing just over 5 pounds. Today she is a healthy toddler with no lasting health or developmental issues!

March of Dimes believes that every baby deserves the best possible start. Unfortunately, not all babies get one. We are changing that. From advocacy to education to research, we are working to level the playing field so that all moms and babies are healthy. Because when a society supports every family, the future is brighter for us all. And when communities come together, even the toughest problems can be solved.

We’re taking on one of the toughest problems facing moms and babies today—premature birth. In this country, 1 in 10 babies is born prematurely each year. And while the U.S. preterm birth rate is high, women of color have an up to 50% higher rate of preterm birth than white women, and their children can face a 130% higher infant death rate.

Here's what March of Dimes is doing to fight the biggest health threats to moms and babies:
-We’re advocating at the federal and state levels for funding and legislation that put the health priorities of moms and babies first.
-We’re working with the medical community to improve the health care women receive.
-We’re funding research at our six Prematurity Research Centers (PRC), including our recently established European PRC at Imperial College London, to create innovative collaborations that will accelerate improvements to the health of moms and babies for generations to come.
-We’re providing families with resources and programs as well as educating moms before, during and after pregnancy to ensure that families have the best possible start.
-We’re uniting local communities and partnering with organizations and companies, bringing together problem solvers, families and support systems to inspire change.

Thanks to the leadership of our volunteer chairs and committee members, we are honored to present this Signature Chefs event. After months of hard work, these volunteers have taken the event to new heights. The March of Dimes and the families we support are grateful for the generosity and effort of the team that made this evening possible.

Tim and Rachel Carroll are serving as this year's event Co-Chairs.  The Carroll’s are parents to a lively, soon-to-be 4-year old, but have gone through much since London’s birth at just 24-weeks’ gestation. Although she was born a micropreemie, her attitude and will are anything but small. The toddler we are able to celebrate today wouldn't be who she is without the help of the March of Dimes. We are so grateful for the treatments they have developed, and for donors and fundraisers like all of you. Let London’s light be a symbol of the fighting chance you gave her and countless others. Please join us on December 9^th for the 2019 Vero Beach Signature Chefs Auction, as we fight for the health of all moms and babies.