7-Year-Old Aidan Lamothe Joins "Giving Tuesday" To Give More Babies A Healthy Start In Life

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March of Dimes Partners with #CrowdRise in Innovative Social Media Campaign

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Dec 02, 2014, 05:03 ET

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Aidan Lamothe, age 7, of Manchester, New Hampshire, the 2014 March of Dimes National Ambassador, is helping lead the Foundation's "Giving Tuesday" campaign by urging all his friends to help him construct a virtual "Giving Tower" being built by #CrowdRise, the one-day online charitable giving campaign that provides a positive alternative to the commercialism and consumerism that takes place during the holiday season.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014, Manchester, N.H - Aidan Lamothe, age 7, the 2014 March of Dimes National Ambassador, has a very special gift for sick and premature babies and their families. For every $50.00 donation made to the March of Dimes via #CrowdRise on Giving Tuesday today (December 2), Aidan will present a pair of tiny baby shoes to a baby being cared for in a hospital newborn intensive care nursery (NICU). Participate in Giving Tuesday by visiting https://www.crowdrise.com/MarchofDimes-Tower and choosing the amount of your donation to the March of Dimes. A brick will appear and be moved to the next highest place in the tower. Watch the tower grow in real time by downloading the free #GivingTower smartphone app from the iTunes store or Google Play.

Born 12 weeks prematurely, weighing only 3 pounds, Aidan spent the first seven weeks of his life in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) being treated for breathing problems, low birthweight, and other prematurity-related issues. Today, he's a happy, energetic, engaged and loving little boy who enjoys being outdoors, playing baseball, practicing the piano, and doing gymnastics.

"I know that the March of Dimes works very hard to help kids like me get better," says Aidan. "I love to build things and I love helping the babies! I hope this Giving Tower goes all the way up to the sky. It sounds like fun, especially since I know that making it grow helps the March of Dimes figure out ways to have all kids be healthy from the day they're born."

On December 2, every donation made through #CrowdRise will be represented by a brick on the Giving Tower. Each contribution to the March of Dimes will be represented by a brick with the March of Dimes logo. As the contributions/bricks increase in number they will be stacked to form a virtual tower. Aidan and his family say they hope that the tower's most prominent logo will be that of the March of Dimes, denoting increased support for the March of Dimes and its scientific research, treatments, vaccines and educational programs to prevent premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality.

Aidan Lamothe has a very special gift for sick and premature babies and their families. For every $50 donation made to the March of Dimes via #CrowdRise, young Aidan will give a pair of tiny baby shoes to a baby being cared for in a newborn intensive care nursery (NICU).

Participate in #CrowdRise by visiting https://www.crowdrise.com/MarchofDimes-Tower and choosing the amount of your donation to March of Dimes. A brick will appear and be moved to the next highest place in the tower. You can watch the tower grow in real time by downloading the free #GivingTower smartphone app from the iTunes store or Google Play.

"Helping to build the Giving Tower on December 2 through #CrowdRise is a very real way to be part of the passion and purpose of Aidan and other March of Dimes volunteers to provide good health for all babies and the families that love them," says Deborah Barge, March of Dimes Vice President, Special Events.

See Aidan's inspirational story at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqdqz2L28iQ. You can also follow the family as they travel the country on their National Ambassadors visits: http://www.facebook.com/MarchofDimesNationalAmbassador.

The March of Dimes National Ambassador Program is an annual campaign, started in 1946, that puts a face on the March of Dimes mission. United Airlines will continue to serve as the official airline sponsor of the March of Dimes National Ambassador Program for the 9^th consecutive year.

Learn more about #CrowdRise at: www.crowdrise.com

Learn more about #GivingTuesday at: www.givingtuesday.org

The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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SOURCE March of Dimes