Month: April 2012

A new baby is said to be the beginning of all things, hope, and a dream of possibilities. St. George had the opportunity last weekend to host the “March for Babies” of the March of Dimes, the well-known group that makes pregnancy and parenting possible for many families. “March of Dimes is a non-profit foundation that has been very successful in obtaining research dollars, to help prevent prematurity, prevent birth defects, and infant mortality,” says Cindy Woolley, Development manager for the Utah Chapter.

One hundred and fifty people came to celebrate in the March for Babies in Utah’s Dixie. Participants of the March raised money to support programs in our community that help mothers have healthy, full-term pregnancies. All the money raised at this event, funds research to make life and joy for families a possibility.

The celebration included music, dancing, and raffle prizes. But, most importantly laughter, joy, and the gift of life.

 One family in particular got to experience the joy of their child’s life because March of Dimes,  made that possible. Sixteen month old, Sofi Calder, was in the hospital for 100 days before she could come home. Born at 1.4 pounds, she was not expected to live. But  because of this foundation, she knows what love, family, and home is. 

“At 18 weeks Sarah’s water broke and went into the dr. and said we should expect that our baby won’t make it. We have a great appreciation for life and the small advances she makes,” says parents of Sofi

This group of people did not let anything stand in their way. Even after having to relocate the event due to the weather, the party still continued.

The celebration included music, dancing, and raffle prizes. But most importantly laughter, joy, and the gift of life.The March of Dimes opens many doors across the nation for endless possibilities.

For D-WEEK information, a 1080 landed by a 12-year-old, sports, weather, Family TLC, and a whole lot more–watch this week’s State of the the Storm!

In a world of video games and cartoons what does it take to keep kids focused on school? Many say you’ve got to keep them entertained with things like songs, blocks, and hula hoops. At the learning center for families the atmosphere encourages learning for life.

“What we do is we go out and see our families. We provide weekly visits where we work on child development, cognitive activities as well as family development,” said executive director Debbie Justice. 

Giving parents much needed bonding time with their children, the center provides parents the tools they need to be a strong support system.

“The Learning Center for Families is an agency that works with vulnerable pregnant women, infants and toddlers in a variety of home visiting programs,” said Justice.

The center offers five programs to help families with different circumstances. Music has been called the universal language, and the center believes that the art is crucial to a child’s development, so they offer Kindermusik.

“We work on social development, communication, motor development, both gross and fine development, their musical abilities, their cognition and their social development, being in a social setting as well,” stated Tara Dunn, a Kindermusik teacher for the center.

With continuous support from faculty, many families leave the learning center achieving their goals.

“Our goal is to help families identify their own goals, and help them get there. We really want to work on what families want to work on. We start with where families are at and we just keep growing with them,” stated Justice.

With a resolve to build lasting relationships, St. George has a place dedicated to giving families all they need to love and support their children.

For more information on The Learning Center for Families, visit tlc4families.org.

 

 

State of the Storm is Dixie State College’s number one source for local news, weather and sports. The program is broadcast from the Jennings Communication Building on the campus of Dixie State College.