VERO BEACH – Local business leader Bill Penney, President and CEO of Marine Bank & Trust Company, will once again don his biking apparel for charity. Penney, who is also currently Chairman of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, plans to peddle out of the Marine Bank parking lot on Beachland Blvd. early March 1 on a 75 miles ride to Melbourne and back in celebration of the March of Dimes 75th Anniversary. The following day, the March of Dimes will hold its largest annual fundraising event, March for Babies, a walk beginning and ending at Riverside Park.
Penney has committed to bicycling 75 miles to help raise $7,500 to further the mission of the March of Dimes by improving the health of babies. His ride will kick off at 7:00 a.m. at Marine Bank, 571 Beachland Blvd. He will be joined by fellow “bikers” Mark Schumann and the Rev. Scott Alexander and anticipates completing the ride by approximately 1:30 p.m., returning to the bank.
“Celebrating 75 years of healthy babies with the March of Dimes is the perfect excuse for me to ride my bike for a good cause,” said Penney, who has ridden for charity in recent years. Last spring, Penney and Schumann joined Alexander in Savannah for a four-day ride back to Vero Beach to cap off Alexander’s bicycle trek across the county, a fundraising ride to help alleviate hunger.
Penney is asking everyone to support this celebration by either joining him in the ride for a few miles or cheering him on. He is also asking for support through a donation to March of Dimes. Either $1 a year or $1 a mile, sent to March of Dimes at 112 43rd Ave. S.W., Vero Beach, FL 32968 or by contacting the office at 772-562-0115. Donations may also be conveniently dropped off at either of the Marine Bank Vero Beach locations: 571 Beachland Blvd. or 1450 U.S. 1.
Since its founding, the success of the March of Dimes has ranged from conquering polio to reducing the incidence of prematurity. The first success came in the form of the polio vaccine in 1955, and there has not been a single outbreak of polio in our country in more than 30 years. In the decades to follow, the March of Dimes helped to stamp out rubella, pushed for regionalized newborn intensive care, funded the development of surfactant therapy and other lifesaving treatments, promoted folic acid to prevent neural tube defects and brought newborn screening to every baby.
On a local level, the March of Dimes has provided funding to organizations to implement programs to help ensure that all families know the importance of prenatal care, and are educated on healthy lifestyles that lead to healthy birth outcomes. In addition, the local March of Dimes offers support to families of babies born prematurely and with other challenges.
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