A little rain can't stop Naperville March of Dimes fundraiser

Nothing about Sunday's March of Dimes Walk in Naperville seemed ideal to Al Novak.

Novak, a Lemont resident, his daughter, Theresa Palmer, and six of Novak's grandchildren arrived late for the annual fundraiser that runs along a stretch of the city's Riverwalk. So they walked alone. And for much of the six-mile journey, the family endured bouts of pouring rain that would've sent most fleeing for shelter.

But Sunday's walk was about more than helping raise money for a good cause or taking a morning stroll through town. Novak and his family walked in memory of a grandson who was born premature and died after a little more than a day following complications during pregnancy.

"You know, things happen for a reason," Palmer said. "If being here today can ensure that just a few more children get the help they need and can go on living, that's all that matters."

Despite the persistent morning rains, walkers from throughout the suburbs took part in the fundraiser. The Naperville event is the second-largest in the state and has helped raise up to $500,000, said Lena Clement, a community director for the March of Dimes.

More than 400 employees from the Nicor offices in Naperville were there. Some, like Melissa Sepka of Plainfield, have lived through the uncertainty that comes with having her child born premature.

"My son ended up OK, but I know a lot of people who had to spend days on end in the hospital praying that their children would make it alive," Sepka said.

Mohammad Pothiawala decided to enlist the participation of his brother, a few friends and a youth group when the 17-year-old Lombard resident learned that a friend had been born premature. Pothiawala, a student at the Islamic Foundation school in Villa Park, raised more than $600.

"It was a great excuse to run in the rain," he said. "It's the first time in a while that I've run outside."

Brian Pugliese stood with his two children, Payton, 6, and Cate, 4, at the finish line waiting for their mom, Anne, to finish the walk. The Naperville mother has been participating in the annual walks for the last five years through a team at Edward Hospital.

"Both of our children were born premature," Brian Pugliese said. "She definitely does this so that people dealing with the same things we went through have the same access to the resources they need."