March of Dimes
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation began collaboratively implementing Project Alpha in 1980. This collaborative project is designed to provide education, motivation and skill-building on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases for young males ages 12-15 years. Designed to provide young men with current and accurate information about teen pregnancy prevention, Project Alpha consists of a series of workshops and informational sessions conducted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers. The three goals of Project Alpha programs are:
- Sharing Knowledge by combating ignorance and fear with factual information.
- Changing Attitudes by providing motivation toward positive changes in sexual behavior.
- Providing Skills by creating a sense of empowerment and self-esteem.
- This program reaches more than 25,000 young men every year.
The Project Alpha curriculum focuses on five key topics:
- Responsibility, Respect and the Role of Males in Relationships
- Adolescent Pregnancy and Fatherhood
- Protecting Yourself and Your Partner
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Intimate Violence in Relationships
For more than 20 years, the men of Alpha Phi Alpha have been working with the staff and volunteers of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, taking Project Alpha to hundreds of communities and thousands of teen males. March for Babies gives hope to the more than half a million babies born too soon each year. The money raised supports programs in throughout the country that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. The March of Dimes have been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $2 billion to benefit all babies. In addition to Project Alpha, March for Babies® serves as an example of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – March of Dimes partnership. In the last 5 years, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers have raised over $1 million for the March of Dimes. In that time Kappa Xi Lambda has raised close to $20,000 for the March for Babies.
For more information on the March For Babies please visit: www.marchforbabies.org or www.marchofdimes.com.