March for Babies: Fifty-Plus Years of Walking for a Cause

If you've ever wondered where the charity walk came from, March of Dimes has a claim to the answer. Its walk began in 1970, was known for decades as WalkAmerica, and is still the organization's largest fundraiser.

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"America's first nationwide charitable walk"

March of Dimes describes it plainly: "Established in 1970, March for Babies, previously called WalkAmerica, is our largest fundraiser," and it calls the event "America's first nationwide charitable walk."1 In 2023 the organization described it as "the nation's oldest charitable walk," holding "the 53rd annual experience" "in communities across the country and virtually."2

Boston's Walk for Hunger, which began in 1969, describes itself as "the longest-running pledge walk in the US," so the two organizations frame their firsts differently. Between them, they show that the charity walk as we know it took shape around the turn of the 1970s. See our Walk for Hunger case study and our guide to what a walk-a-thon is.

A rename, not a reinvention

March of Dimes' history page dates the change to 2008, when WalkAmerica became March for Babies.3 The new name put the beneficiary in the title. "WalkAmerica" told you what participants did; "March for Babies" tells you why. For any organization naming its own walk, that's a useful test: does the name say who the money helps?

Recent results

For its 54th annual walk, March of Dimes reported raising "more than $15.4 million" with "more than 41,000 registered walkers."4 By our arithmetic that's roughly $375 per registered walker, a useful reminder that a national brand's walkers still raise money one personal ask at a time.

The 2023 walk carried a theme, "A Mother of a Movement," a reminder that even a 50-year-old event can refresh its message with a theme.2

Corporate partners that stay for decades

One relationship stands out. March of Dimes reported in 2023 that the grocery chain Publix "has raised more than $95 million" for March of Dimes since 1995.2 In 2024 the charity recognized groups raising more than $75,000 each as "Movement Makers."4

A named recognition tier for top teams does two things: it gives them a target to reach, and it gives them something to put in their own community-relations reports. A local walk can do the same on a smaller scale, naming its top business teams in the program and the thank-you letter. The sponsorship guide covers recognition levels.

Where the early history gets fuzzy

Some accounts give specific details of the first 1970 walk and of when the WalkAmerica name was adopted; we couldn't confirm them from March of Dimes' own pages, so we've left them out. We also haven't used a 2023 dollar total, because the figures we found don't line up with the charity's 2024 report. For a national walk built around company teams, see the Heart Walk. For the other long-running walks, see the section on traditions on our walk-a-thon case studies hub, and its recent totals are set against four other national walks in the nonprofit charity walk examples.

Sources

  1. March of Dimes, March for Babies (accessed October 19, 2026).
  2. March of Dimes, March of Dimes announces 2023 March for Babies: A Mother of a Movement (February 13, 2023; accessed October 19, 2026).
  3. March of Dimes, history page (accessed October 19, 2026).
  4. March of Dimes, March of Dimes raises $15.4 million at 54th annual March for Babies (July 23, 2024; accessed October 19, 2026).