Yardi Atlanta recently reached and exceeded its fundraising goal for the March of Dimes walk. The office planned to raise $500 yet ended the day with $682! The fundraiser was a terrific way to boost morale and raise awareness for the upcoming March of Dimes March for Babies on April 28, 2018. The Organization March of Dimes understands that no one anticipates a baby born prematurely or very sick. Yet for hundreds of thousands of parents in the United States, that is the frightening reality. Each year, more than half a million babies are born premature or with birth defects. March of Dimes supports the efforts of parents and newborn intensive care unit (NICU) staff to save the lives of babies. Without the Affordable Care Act and March of Dimes support, most families would not be able to afford NICU services. Yet care doesn’t start in the NICU. March of Dimes also funds vital services for mothers. With early care, mothers and specialists can identify and minimize risks of preterm birth and birth defects. Yardi Atlanta + March of Dimes Last year, the Atlanta office supported March of Dimes for the first time as a group. Several families that had experienced premature childbirth, as well as those who have been affected, rallied together. Support for the cause grew into an office-wide effort this year. Stacy Harmon, Senior Quality Assurance Specialist Programming at Yardi, will be participating in the walk. “My son RJ (pictured at right and left) was six weeks premature,” says Harmon. “As scared as we were, we really had no need to worry. He was well taken care of while in the NICU for the 10 days after he was born. He was tested, fed, changed and even dressed while they watched...

The 29th Annual Thad & Alice Eure Walk for Hope united people from different paths for life for a single goal: discovering the causes of, and potential cures for, mental illness. More than 3,000 walkers participated this year including eleven Yardi team members. Greg Smith, Vice President, Client Services and Raleigh’s General Manager, shared why he has participated in the event for multiple years. “In 2011 our office was rocked by the suicide of one of our most fun and energetic team members, Tim Owens.  Tim’s death put a spotlight on depression and mental health for me. In the days and weeks after, our team members came together to support each other and share.” Mental illness affects as many as 1 in 5 American adults. It wasn’t until the death of Owens that Smith realized the scope of mental illnesses in the United States. “It’s not just depression,” Smith reflected. “There’s PTSD, postpartum depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety – the list goes on and on. But unlike when someone has cancer or arthritis, there’s a stigma associated with mental health. People are embarrassed, even though these are real health problems that can be diagnosed and in many cases treated.  The result of that stigma is that people don’t get help.” “The Walk not only raises money for medical research, but it also raises awareness and gets conversations going,” said Smith. All of the funds raised by participants directly benefits local mental health research at the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Psychiatry. To date, the organization has donated $5 million to 128 research grants. The grants leveraged an additional $145 million from the National Institute of Health. The nonprofit has also donated more than $320,000 to 36 local community service grants. Yardi team members that participated in the event included...