March of Dimes: New director assumes duties for Ozark division

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by Maria Hoover|ret||ret||tab|

Inside Business Editor|ret||ret||tab|

mhoover@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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The fight against birth defects and premature births has a new advocate in Jim Benton. Benton became director of the Ozark Division of March of Dimes in mid-November, replacing Terry Garrett.|ret||ret||tab|

Garrett left to stay home with her children, according to Tim Parrish, chairman of the March of Dimes Board of Directors and vice president of Trust Company of the Ozarks. |ret||ret||tab|

Parrish said Benton was chosen from more than 20 applicants. |ret||ret||tab|

"He had significant experience in running the show by himself, which is going to be an important piece of the puzzle," said Parrish. |ret||ret||tab|

Benton is the local March of Dimes office's only full-time employee, working with the help of a part-time staff member. |ret||ret||tab|

"His fund-raising background was important to us also, and he's done some big-event planning, which is key," Parrish added. |ret||ret||tab|

Benton, secretary of the local Association of Fundraising Professionals, previously worked for Springfield Victory Mission and spent time in private consulting. |ret||ret||tab|

"We are absolutely a nonprofit that relies on community support," Benton said. |ret||ret||tab|

The 2004 budget for the Ozark Division of March of Dimes stands at about $135,000, according to Benton and Parrish. The annual Walk America is March of Dimes' biggest fund-raiser. The event is generally held in April, and the 2003 walk raised about $85,000 for the Ozark division.|ret||ret||tab|

Parrish said one goal the March of Dimes Ozark division board of directors has for Benton's tenure is to increase the amount of money raised by the local Walk America. |ret||ret||tab|

"March of Dimes had the first walk in the United States, but then a lot of other people kind of jumped on that bandwagon, and we've lost some of our market share, if you will, so we're planning to do some things to help gain some of that market share back," Parrish said. |ret||ret||tab|

As director of the Ozark division of March of Dimes, Benton "will be able to control what events we do next year, along with the board, obviously," in terms of fund-raising, Parrish said. |ret||ret||tab|

"In the past, we've done chef's auctions and jail-and-bails, and we have a Bikers for Babies event. We've had golf tournaments. There's several activities we've done in the past, and we'll make some decisions probably in January on which things we're going to follow through on (for 2004)," Parrish said. |ret||ret||tab|

There are also some new prematurity prevention efforts the organization is working toward. One will be working more closely with area dentists, "because there's a definite link (between) periodontal disease and premature birth," Parrish said. |ret||ret||tab|

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March of Dimes history|ret||ret||tab|

President Franklin Roosevelt established the March of Dimes in 1938 to save America's youth from polio, according to the organization's Web site at www.marchofdimes.com. Roosevelt formed the organization on the premise that "people can solve any problem if they work together," the Web site said. |ret||ret||tab|

And solve the problem it did. |ret||ret||tab|

"March of Dimes was originally founded to prevent polio. And we're the first national charity that accomplished the goal that was set before them. And once that was taken care of, they already had this network in place and they shifted their energy toward birth defects and now premature births," Parrish said. |ret||ret||tab|

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Personal tie|ret||ret||tab|

The local March of Dimes office has three areas of focus, Benton said. |ret||ret||tab|

"One is, we provide education. We provide some community grants, and our fund-raising," Benton said. The office also provides funds for national and international research grants. One research area that hits Benton personally is surfactant therapy. |ret||ret||tab|

"What it actually is is a detergent-like substance that coats the lungs for the babies so that they can breathe easier. It creates moisture in the lungs. It's a therapy that has done incredible things just to help babies. And when you put them on a breathing apparatus, their lungs just can't handle that, but when you use the surfactant therapy, it enables them to do that," Benton said. |ret||ret||tab|

"My parents were living in Tokyo, Japan, and my older brother was born in Tokyo on an Air Force Base in 1956. And the American doctor wanted to go on vacation, and the only thing holding him back was my brother's delivery. So he decided to induce labor, and he did, and my brother was born prematurely with his lungs not developed. And because of what was available in 1956 and that's primarily nothing he died after 22 days." |ret||ret||tab|

Benton said although he lost a brother he never knew, the pain for his parents, who were missionaries in Japan, is overwhelming. |ret||ret||tab|

"Losing a child is one of the most difficult things you can endure," Benton said. "March of Dimes has been able to develop therapies that help a child who is born a few weeks early it's almost not even considered early. But in the '50s and earlier times, there just weren't the medical advances that we have now."|ret||ret||tab|

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Local efforts|ret||ret||tab|

March of Dimes visits locally with schools and organizations to educate people on some of the causes of premature birth and birth defects. |ret||ret||tab|

For instance, if a mother smokes, it can cause premature labor. Spina bifida, a birth defect, can be prevented by appropriate use of folic acid during pregnancy. |ret||ret||tab|

However, Benton and Parrish noted, not all the causes of premature birth or birth defects are known, and that's why March of Dimes-funded research is important for all babies. |ret||ret||tab|

"Everyone that has a baby in the Ozarks, every child that is born is indirectly impacted by March of Dimes, and in some cases, directly, if that child is premature," Benton said. |ret||ret||tab|

The organization also funds smoking-cessation programs and folic-acid awareness campaigns. |ret||ret||tab|

A shared goal of Benton and the Ozark division board of directors is increased awareness in the community about March of Dimes. |ret||ret||tab|

"I think March of Dimes is an organization that has wonderful name recognition, but beyond that, no one knows what we do," Benton said.|ret||ret||tab|

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