Participants gathered at Centra Southside Community Hospital last Thursday to enjoy ice cream and learn more about a nonprofit organization that is set to have its march in April.

March of Dimes, with the support of Centra and other area organizations, will hold the five-mile Farmville-Fulcher March for Babies walk. It will begin April 22 at the hospital, where participants will also walk through High Bridge Trail State Park.

Allison Gross, March of Dimes development manager, said the goal for this year is to raise $22,000 for the organization. She said last year’s event raised a little more than $22,000.

From covering fundraisers for March of Dimes in the past, it surprises me how much this cause — providing care and preventative measures for those affected by premature birth — brings together people from all walks of life and all different backgrounds.

This can include families who have had a child or someone who has had a sibling who was born prematurely or someone who was born prematurely themselves.

This unifying aspect of the cause was discussed by members of the sorority Tri Sigma, who said during the Thursday ice cream social that members had been impacted by premature birth.

“A few of the members of the sorority were born prematurely,” Tri Sigma member Megan Hurley said. “(This) means a lot to them.”

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 cited that one in 10 babies were estimated to have been born prematurely in the U.S.

For such a widespread issue, it’s amazing to see the outpouring of support the Heart of Virginia offers to the March for Babies and to others who live here.

If you’d like to learn more about the March of Dimes and the March for Babies, visit www.marchforbabies.org.

EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH is a staff reporter for The Farmville Herald and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Emily.Hollingsworth@FarmvilleHerald.com.