The spread in awareness for the disease known as Neonatal Tetanus has gained much support throughout the nation, and Key Club has been one organization in particular that has helped increase attention to this cause. Key Club has organized multiple events in order to raise money and bring added support for the March of Dimes organization.

 According to the World Health Organization, “Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) has been among the most common life threatening consequences of unclean deliveries and umbilical cord care practices, and are indicators of inequity in access to immunization and other maternal, newborn, and child health services. When tetanus develops, mortality rates are extremely high, especially when appropriate medical care is not available.”

The March of Dimes was created in reaction to the widespread growth of Neonatal Tetanus. March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies, and now Key Club has begun a partnership to help raise awareness and support for the organization.

Key Club has put on multiple events such as: Bahama Bucks socials, Trick or Treat UNICEF boxes, dodge ball tournaments and more, in order to gain profits that will be donated to the March of Dimes foundation. The MOD Pizza fundraisers in particular have driven in massive earnings for Key Club. 

“The MOD socials are great because we get to meet all these new people and it helps bring in the most money to help this cause,” Key Club president, junior Aarthi Annamalai, said.

These events involved going to MOD Pizza, ordering a pizza and then donating an amount of the price paid to the March of Dimes foundation. The MOD Pizza events draw in big crowds because they involve what are called interclub socials, which is when multiple clubs in the area meet with each other to gain ideas for the club and just learn about each other.

Another fundraiser organized by Key Club was their Trick or Treat UNICEF boxes. This fundraiser brought in the season of Halloween and challenged Key Clubbers to fill these whimsical tricks or treat boxes to the top with coins. Any coins were accepted, the main goal was to just fill the box. Once the boxes were filled, they were turned in to add to profits for March of Dimes.

While Key Club has posted many events in the past few months, they plan on having an even bigger impact in the coming future.

“We hope for the future that we can raise enough money to fully fund research projects that would eliminate undernourishment of women and children all around the world,” Annamalai said, “ One new event in particular coming up is called the Christmas Carnival.”

The Christmas Carnival is an event that is hosted for community members and families to enjoy during the holiday season. It will be filled with games, food and prizes. 

“It is basically a huge meet and greet occasion that focuses around joy and making [great] efforts to the March of Dimes,” Annamalai said.

The partnership of Key Club and March of Dimes has turned out to be a great success. It has made a huge impact in helping the March of Dimes foundation grow and help fight against Neonatal Tetanus, as well as those who are affected.