On April 27, a group of Rho employees along with nearly half a million others participated in the March of Dimes, March for Babies fundraising event. This event supports research investigating premature birth — the leading cause of newborn death and a major cause of many lifelong disabilities.   Rho’s founders having a personal history with the March of Dimes.  As a child, co-founder Mary Helms’s family received assistance from the March of Dimes while her father suffered from polio.  It is important as a company to take time out of our daily routines to not only give back on a personal level, but to contribute to Rho’s primary purpose: research.

In 2012, Rho ranked 5th in fundraising out of all the Triangle March for Babies teams. We’re excited to continue the tradition of being a top team as we are well on our way in surpassing our fundraising goal this year.

In addition to the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk, Rho hosts an annual March of Dimes BBQ at our headquarters in Chapel Hill, featuring a delicious BBQ lunch from Smokey’s Shack, raffle prizes and a water balloon toss. This year, employees purchased raffle tickets for what some say were our best prizes yet, including restaurant gift cards, photography packages, a round of golf, massages and vacation packages, just to name a few. This event provides the bulk of our fundraising efforts and allows us to be such strong contributors year after year.

We conclude each year’s BBQ with our infamous water balloon toss. Traditionally, a few members of Rho’s Leadership Team volunteer as targets, including co-CEO’s, Russ Helms and Laura Helms Reece. Employees purchase balloons and take aim at their favorite team members, with occasional balloons making their way back towards the crowd of onlookers.

Check out our Facebook page for more pictures from this year’s March of Dimes, March for Babies event and BBQ lunch. You can also follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our summer events.