• By Todd Luck
• Posted Monday, September 11, 2023

Walk a Mile to Save Our Babies brings awareness to infant mortality

A long line of participants pushed 32 empty baby strollers around Bailey Park in Winston-Salem on September 7 to bring awareness to infant mortality in Forsyth County.

The event coincided with efforts across the country in recognition of September as Infant Mortality Awareness Month, and each of the 32 empty strollers represented an infant who was born alive but died before their first birthday in Forsyth County in 2022. Approximately 200 people attended the Annual Walk a Mile to Save Our Babies Event, which was hosted by the Forsyth County Infant Mortality Reduction Coalition.

County Commissioner Chair Don Martin and Vice Chair Gloria Whisenhunt along with Commissioners Tonya McDaniel and Dan Beese attended the event. The walk began and ended at United Metropolitain Missionary Baptist Church, which hosted a program after the walk. This included a conversation with local mother Shanell Samuels who lost a newborn daughter four years ago and a discussion on the causes of infant mortality with Dr. Kathy Poehling, a pediatrician at Atrium Wake Health.

For more information about the Forsyth County Infant Mortality Reduction Coalition and infant mortality prevention, visit www.helpourbabies.org.

View photos from the event.