‘Agenda for the Next Generation’

This is in response to your excellent and timely editorial “Agenda for the Next Generation” (May 15). It listed seven high-priority goals for future generations in solving critical problems affecting the children of the U.S.

The statistics you outlined should be shocking to caring citizens. The United States, one of the earth’s wealthiest and most educated nations, has thousands of babies brought into the world suffering the terrible consequences of birth defects. Nearly 40,000 of them die annually during their first year.

But there is a very positive side to the multifaceted problems of infant mortality, inadequate prenatal care, nutrition for pregnant women and new babies, teen-age pregnancy, and the need for more community involvement. This positive news is the extraordinary growth of non-government volunteerism--of people from all ages and from every background working through the March of Dimes to prevent these tragedies.

In the recent Orange County WalkAmerica, 6,025 March of Dimes volunteers cared enough to “get involved” as walkers, raising pledges of $577,000. Among those volunteers were 1,300 youths from Orange County schools. These youngsters raised $55,000 in pledges and are already learning, as early as the fifth grade, the value of accepting responsibility for making theirs a better, more caring society.

More public involvement is needed. More volunteerism, more business-sector involvement, and more legislative prioritizing are required to attack the inexcusable problem of one of the world’s wealthiest nations’ apparent cavalier attitude toward caring for its youth. But it is also important to recognize that great efforts are already being made in the worthy struggle for healthy babies.

JIM COOPER

March of Dimes

Volunteer Board Member

Costa Mesa