A Pizza Party, Blue Jeans and a Double-decker Bus

Department of Child Support Services employees set up a March of Dimes display at their office in downtown San Diego to generate interest in this year's fundraising campaign. Pictured from left to right are: Theresa Macias, Genoveva Martin, Ada Sanchez and Maria Herrera.

Carl Bell threw a pizza party for his co-workers when they helped him reach the $600 mark for March of Dimes fundraising. The former Director of the Farm & Home Advisor office also helped organize a silent auction fundraiser, and donated to it a box of ceramic pottery handmade by his wife.

Maria Herrera secured the OK from the director of her department, Child Support Services, to sell “Blue Jeans for Babies” stickers to her co-workers to raise money. She then sold dozens of the $2 stickers, which allow employees to wear jeans to work for the day.  

Probation’s Kenneth Carr got 70 friends and family members together for a fundraiser pub crawl. Each person contributed $40, a portion of which went to the charity. Then Carr got his aunt’s company to double match the sum raised.

While many County employees rely on traditional fundraising tactics, others have gotten more creative in their efforts to support March of Dimes campaigns in recent years. These efforts have helped make the County one of the 75-year-old nonprofit’s biggest regional supporters. Over the past 10 years, County-supported fundraising campaigns have collected $538,718. Bell, Herrera and Carr were among the top individual fundraisers at the County in the last few years.

Hundreds of County employees are expected to participate in the County’s March of Dimes fundraising campaign again this year by walking in the organization’s biggest annual fundraiser, the March for Babies. The 5K walk is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 in Oceanside and Saturday, April 27 at Balboa Park. To register for one of the events or make a donation to your group’s team, visit the March for Babies page on InSite.

The 75-year-old March of Dimes has been at the forefront of improving the health of mothers and babies since its start. President Franklin Roosevelt founded the organization in 1938 with the goal of ending the polio epidemic. With that goal achieved, the March of Dimes today works more broadly to improve the health of moms and babies.

Bell raised $1,133 in a recent campaign, earning him a spot among the County’s top individual fundraisers. Bell said he and his wife decided a few years ago to “devote a certain amount of money to charitable activities.”

“We set aside our own target and each found worthy causes,” Bell said.

As the former acting Farm & Home Advisor, Bell had encouraged colleagues to contribute to the March of Dimes campaign by offering a pizza party if his unit came up with at least $600 to match his contribution. They did.

They also organized a successful silent auction. Employees brought in items from home, including CDs, jewelry, tableware and cooking utensils.  Bell came across a box of his wife’s pottery, which she had made in college. The items proved popular, fetching up to $50 apiece.   

The Farm & Home Advisor’s office is planning a March of Dimes silent auction again this year. The event will take place April 22 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the County Operations Center, 5530 Overland Ave., Room 124. It’s open to all County employees.

A lot of good natured camaraderie among the LUEG department heads helped fuel the effort, Bell said.

What about any personal connections to the cause? Yes, Bell’s son, now 33 years old, was born with a congenital heart defect and almost died at 10 days old.

Herrera, a Legal Support Assistant in Child Support Services has also been a top fundraiser at the County, after collecting $1,005 for the charity last year. She said she has seen how the March of Dimes benefits mothers and babies first hand. Her step son was born premature.

“I saw how helpless a little baby is like that when they are premature and how much difference it makes to have March of Dimes involved in programs that help mothers,” she said. “I love children and see that if there’s any way we can help, we should, because children are our future.”

Carr, a Deputy Probation Officer in the Department of Probation, raised one of the largest sums of all County employees last year with $1,700. He said his inspiration was very personal, as well. His younger brother died at the age of two and a half from a heart defect.

So Carr, who had recently moved to San Diego from Philadelphia, decided to do something about six years ago. He started organizing a St. Patrick’s themed pub crawl and donated part of the proceeds to the March of Dimes. The annual event has more than doubled in size since he created it.

“I started with a 30 person school bus, now we use a 70 person double-decker bus and have a waiting list,” Carr said.

In organizing the event, Carr called around to Irish pubs in search of discounts. He made up T-shirts and charged each person $40, a portion of it going to the March of Dimes. His parents even flew out from Philadelphia for the event. His aunt’s company, Johnson & Johnson, then double matched the amount raised.   

Another recent top fundraiser, Sarah Aghassi, said her inspiration came from children, too. The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer/General Manager for the Land Use & Environment Group (LUEG) raised $1,765 as part of a recent campaign.

Aghassi said children hold a very special place in her heart. They have such incredible insight and honesty and look at the world with curiosity and excitement, she said.

“Healthy babies provide the foundation for kids to be kids,” she said. “And the March of Dimes is a great organization to help.”

Aghassi said she raised the funds by asking family and friends to support the cause. She asked them to think about how important healthy babies have been in their lives, whether their own or a loved one.

Other recent top fundraisers have included Leonard Pinson, a project manager for the Department of General Services, and Eric Lardy, a Staff Officer for LUEG.

For more information or to donate or participate, visit the March of Dimes page on InSite.