A very successful March of Dimes campaign for Laurens County held a celebration April 22 at the Laurens YMCA. The Walk for Babies event celebrated a fund-raising effort of at least $50,000 raised in Laurens County for the battle against birth defects. The Aiken Family led the walk as this year's ambassadors, and the large crowd paused a moment before the walk for a balloon launch to honor Eliza Gray Doty, the preemie infant daughter of Kevin Doty and Courtney Kitchens of Waterloo who passed away April 13. Awards presented by MOD development specialist Allison Siebert were: best new team, Thin Blue Line (Clinton Public Safety, Laurens Police, Laurens County Sheriff's Office - $10,000 raised); best family team, Little Blue (Aiken family); best manufacturing team, Walmart Distribution Center; most money raised on-line, Little Blue; best team captain, Robert Clark (Walmart); No. 1 team, Thin Blue Line; and best T-shirt design, tie, Walmart and Thin Blue Line. As an added feature of this year's walk, children participated in a run wearing blue March of Dimes superhero capes. - Photos by Vic MacDonald
