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Community Corner

Tumbling for Babies

Naomi Schachter, a 12-year-old seventh grader at the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, is seeking participants and sponsors for "Tumbling for Babies," a fundraiser to benefit premature or critically ill babies and their families at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University Hospital in Newark, N.J.

The event will be held Sunday, February 21, from 1:30-3 p.m. in the state-of-the-art gym at The Connection for Women & Families, 79 Maple Street in Summit. 

Naomi, born a 2 lb., 6 oz., preemie at just 28 weeks' gestation, today is a member of the Summit Summies gymnastics team. As she considered options for the "mitzvah project" – a community service project – that is part of her preparations for becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Beth Hatikvah in Summit, she arrived at the idea of using gymnastics skills to raise funds to help the families of other babies who must spend the first weeks or months of their lives in the NICU, as she did.

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"I came home on a lot of medication, with an apnea monitor to make sure I was breathing," Naomi explained.  "I had to learn sign language because of how long it took me to learn how to speak.  I had to go to many different types of therapies to be able to be an athlete and speak correctly."

Participants in the "Tumbling for Babies" event will complete as many cartwheels, forward rolls or handstand walks as they can – safely – in 30 minutes.  Participants can tumble for any 30-minute period during the event.  Donors may pledge a certain amount of money per tumble, or a flat amount. 

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The money raised will go toward creating and providing special baby books for families whose babies are in the NICU at University Hospital in Newark. Contributions are tax-deductible and are payable to Foundation of UMDNJ.

The baby book "is a place to record all of the confusing information you receive from doctors and nurses while your baby is in the NICU.  And has a lot of helpful information about your baby's health after s/he gets out of the hospital," Naomi said. "It can help you record all the things your baby does, like when it first crawls, stands, or walks. It can also help you record events like a first haircut and all the other momentous occasions in your baby's life.  Just like a regular baby book.  Then there are some added touches for preemies, and places for you to record your thoughts and feelings.  You can write if you're mad, sad, happy, or if you're just plain out tired.  It will be a place not only to record facts, but memories."

Naomi wants to thank Heather Pistel, Tracy Burkholder, the staff of The Connection and her Summit Summies teammates for their support of this event.

For information about participating or contributing, email tumblingforbabies@gmail.com or call Pam or Jim Schachter, (908) 522-1074.

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