By Maryn Small | Broadcast Reporter
March of Dimes, a national nonprofit organization focused on maternal and infant health, has been relaunched at Baylor by Frisco junior Nethra Rajesh, Houston junior Mira Alkofahi and Houston senior Abeer Qureshi. Their mission is centered on supporting mothers and premature babies through education and hands-on service.
The student-led organization partners with Baylor Scott & White’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where members volunteer and host initiatives aimed at raising awareness about prenatal care and pregnancy-related challenges.
“For our [organization], we partnered with Baylor Scott & White, the NICU, and we’re kind of volunteering there … We also have educational initiatives, too. So we educate people about the importance of prenatal care because I think that’s a really important thing for everyone, like it’s a lifelong thing,” Rajesh said.
To kick off the semester, members created Valentine’s Day crafts for NICU patients, offering encouragement to families while bringing attention to the importance of nutrition, prenatal care and early support.
For Alkofahi, restarting the organization carries a deeply personal meaning, as her family once experienced March of Dimes’ support firsthand.
“Personally, I really wanted to bring it back up because of their main mission, which is basically giving back to the families that are in the NICU. So the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit … means a lot to me because personally, when I was younger, my little brother was born at 24 weeks old, and I was five years old at the time,” Alkofahi said. “And March of Dimes was there for me like almost every other day and we’d do really fun activities there and it just made the entire vibe of being there a lot more hopeful.”
The organization leaders said one of the organization’s main goals is to make hospital visits feel less intimidating, especially for younger children, by creating a welcoming and supportive environment for families.
“So we saw a specific need for neonatal care, and it’s not typical volunteering in terms of providing patient care, taking vitals, etc. It’s more so, ‘How can we provide a community for people and a space where younger kids don’t feel like a hospital visit has to mean bad news each time?’” Qureshi said.
This Saturday, March of Dimes members will visit Baylor Scott & White’s NICU to deliver their handmade Valentine’s crafts to families. Organization leaders said students interested in joining are welcome, with more opportunities planned to volunteer, collaborate and serve the community.
