By Judaea Ingram
Special to the Carolinian
CARY, N.C. – Despite early rain and gray skies, families, healthcare workers, students, and community organizations gathered across the Triangle for the 2026 March for Babies walk, an annual event organized by March of Dimes to raise awareness and funding for maternal and infant health.
Participants arrived wearing purple and pink event shirts, while many children and families sported superhero capes bearing the words “March for Dimes.” As rain fell before the event began, volunteers distributed umbrellas while attendees gathered beneath tents and trees waiting for the walk to officially start. By the time opening remarks concluded, the sun had begun to break through the clouds.
The event, held during Mother’s Day weekend, focused on honoring families affected by premature birth, infant loss, NICU stays, and maternal health complications. Throughout the morning, walkers shared personal stories and reasons for participating, with shirts and signs memorializing loved ones and children who inspired their involvement.
One shirt worn by a participant read, “Still Walking with Rhea,” while another section of the event honored families participating in memory of children and relatives who had passed away. A butterfly release also paid tribute to loved ones remembered during the walk.
According to organizers, the event supports programs and advocacy efforts aimed at addressing maternal and infant health challenges in the United States, including NICU family support, prenatal care access, and maternal health research.
Members of several Divine Nine organizations participated throughout the event, joining fundraising teams and walking in support of maternal and infant health awareness. Among the participating groups, members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. were recognized for raising the highest amount of funds during the event.
Children’s activities and entertainment remained active throughout the morning despite changing weather conditions. Families visited stations featuring face painting, finger painting, mini games, and dance activities as music played across the event grounds. Organizers also created hospitality areas for mothers that included mocktails, donuts, cookies, and more.
One of the event’s most emotional moments came during remarks from the 2026 ambassador family, the Oracle family, who shared their experience navigating life with a premature infant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kelly Oracle described giving birth to her daughter Emma at just 25 weeks, weighing only one pound. She recalled learning “a new language of oxygen levels, ventilators, and alarms,” while navigating the emotional isolation that often accompanies long-term NICU stays.
“What became so clear is that the NICU is more than caring for an infant,” Oracle said during her remarks. “Every baby comes with a full entourage, a story, a village.”
Oracle later explained that her experience ultimately inspired her professional path caring for babies and families facing similar circumstances. She described the emotional realities of supporting parents through trauma, uncertainty, and grief while celebrating moments of survival and progress.
“This work is not just my profession, but deeply personal,” she said.
Her daughter Emma, now six years old, was recognized during the event as a thriving NICU graduate. Oracle shared an emotional moment recalling Emma recently telling her, “Mom, want to know something crazy? I was born really early, but I’m now a totally normal kid.”
“If only she knew just how extraordinary she was,” Oracle said.
Throughout the event, organizers repeatedly emphasized the message that “every step counts,” reminding participants that the walk represented more than a fundraiser. Many attendees described the event as an opportunity to connect with families who understand the emotional weight of NICU experiences, infant loss, and maternal health challenges.
A NICU graduates parade became one of the day’s defining moments, as families and children walked together while the song “Fight Song” played through speakers. During the parade, children who had spent time in the NICU walked alongside their families holding signs that read “I Was a NICU Baby,” followed by the number of weeks at which they were born.
Some children were born as early as 25 or 26 weeks, drawing emotional reactions and applause from attendees gathered along the walking path. Organizers and participants celebrated the children as “tiny but brave warriors,” recognizing both their survival and the journeys their families endured during extended NICU stays.
For many parents in attendance, the parade served as a visible reminder of how far their children had come since those early days surrounded by hospital monitors, ventilators, and uncertainty.
Katie Casey, state director for March of Dimes, acknowledged the personal motivations that brought many people to the event.
“Many of you have a personal reason for joining this walk today,” Casey told the crowd. “Together as we march, we are all moms and babies.”
As the one-mile walk officially began, families continued moving through the event grounds together while sharing stories, taking photos, and celebrating children whose journeys began in the NICU. For many attendees, the event served as both a celebration of survival and a reminder of the continued need for maternal and infant health advocacy.
By the end of the morning, the rain had cleared completely, leaving walkers gathered beneath sunny skies that contrasted sharply with the stormy start to the day. Still, participants said the weather reflected the spirit of the event itself: resilience, hope, and community support through difficult moments.
