Baldwin County will hold a March for Babies event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Heritage Park in Foley.

The fundraising event, put on by the March of Dimes organization which is held nationally, is a two-mile walk to raise awareness of unhealthy, early births. Proceeds from the event will benefit programs and research that help mothers have a healthy, full pregnancy.

“Premature birth, infant mortality and birth defects,” Catherine North, March of Dimes area director for the southwest region of Alabama, said when asked what the event will help to combat.

According to the event website marchforbabies.org, around 500,000 babies are born too soon each year, and the funds raised from the walk also help research the problems of early birth.

“In the state of Alabama, one in six babies are born too soon and the national average is one in eight,” North said. “Fifty percent of pre-mature births happen with no known risk factors.”

North said there are three risk factors the organization tries to raise awareness of to help reduce the number of pre-mature births. The factors are women smoking during pregnancy; not having access to care for the women; and women not completing 40 weeks of pregnancy.

“A lot of people don’t have the ability to get to a doctor for care or get to a hospital to have a delivery. A lot of hospitals aren’t delivering babies anymore,” North said. “A lot of women feel they can have their delivery early, but they need the full 40 weeks.”

It is free to register a team to participate in the fundraiser, North said.

“We do not charge people to walk, so we just ask them to raise money on their own,” she said.

There are around 20 teams registered for the Baldwin County walk, North said, but the number could increase the day of the event.

“For Baldwin County there’s usually 20 to 25 teams,” she said. “We could have people show up that aren’t pre-registered.”

The event has been held since 1970 and has raised around $2 billion through its 40-year existence. This is the first year the Baldwin County based walk is being held at Heritage Park in Foley.

“They started it years ago, then they stopped it and started it back up a few years ago,” North said. “Baldwin County is such a huge area, it’s hard to meet everyone’s needs. We usually have a good turnout with people from different area hospitals and area businesses and several families as well.”

There are fundraising incentives for all participants. T-shirts are available for those who raise at least $200, and residents can win a Macy’s or K-Mart gift card depending on how much they raise. Raising $350 earns a $15 gift card, while $20,000 raised earns a $600 gift card.

Registration for the event will begin at 8 a.m. For more information on the event or to register a team, call 251-438-1360.