Walk America

Image of red-outlined star and blue streaks with blue and red text on white background. 

These buttons were given to participants in the March of Dimes’ Walk America.  WalkAmerica began in 1970 as the first charitable walking event, and in 2007 the event was changed to March for Babies.  The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his U.S. Presidency as a nonprofit organization combating polio.  Polio is an incurable disease which enters through the central nervous system and most associated as a feared childhood disease in the U.S. during the 20th century.  The March of Dimes promotes advocacy, awareness, and research for polio and vaccination against polio.  This same logo can be seen on WalkAmerica merchandise specifically dated during 1983, including a photograph from that same year of legendary golfer and longtime March of Dimes Honorary Chairman Arnold Palmer with the late Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska (viewable to the public via the Ted Stevens Paper Project).