King of Prussia, June 13 – The Eastern Pennsylvania Division of the March of Dimes is proud to announce that Jami Appenzeller, Owner and Publisher of PhillyFIT Magazine, has been selected as one of two March of Dimes Excellence in the Community Award winners for 2005. Appenzeller was selected as a March of Dimes 2005 Honoree because of her commitment to the health of the greater Philadelphia community. As a member of the Mayor’s Council on Health and Fitness, Appenzeller is working to take Philadelphia from “fat” to “fit” through PhillyFIT Magazine, the free monthly magazine she publishes and distributes throughout the five-county area. PhillyFIT, with a circulation of 75,000 each month, reaches thousands of Philadelphia-area residents with stories about exercise, good eating habits and the mental and spiritual components to health.
The Award Ceremony is part of the March of Dimes Ninth Annual Signature Chefs Auction of Philadelphia, scheduled for Monday, December 5, 2005. The Signature Chefs Auction of Philadelphia is a March of Dimes fundraiser, supporting the foundation’s mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality.
The Signature Chefs event will also feature 20 of Philadelphia’s finest chefs and restaurants serving up their signature menu items. This festive event draws over 400 and will include fine wines and local microbrews as well as live and silent auctions offering creative dining, travel and entertainment packages.
To address the problem of premature birth, the March of Dimes has committed to a multi-year national prematurity research, awareness and educational campaign. The campaign is funded by events like the Signature Chefs Auction of Philadelphia.
“One if eight babies is born prematurely,” said Dr. Jay Greenspan, Director of Neonatology at Thomas Jefferson Hospital and A.I. duPont Hospital for Children and member of the March of Dimes Eastern Pennsylvania Board of Directors. “Premature birth is now the nation’s number one obstetric problem and the leading cause of newborn death and in many cases the causes of prematurity are unknown.” For more information contact the Preganancy & Newborn Health Education Center at askus@marchofdimes.com or visit www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity.
To learn more about the Signature Chefs Auction of Philadelphia, and how you can support the March of Dimes, contact Kelley Malcolm at 610-945-6050. The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at nacersano.org.
