Jogging for James: To End Preventable Stillbirths

 

What is Jog for James, exactly?

It's a morning of community for all who have lost babies through perinatal and neonatal death and for those that support them.  It's an upbeat event focusing on the love we have for our children, and a celebration of their lives.  Think of it as a giant birthday party! Race day shirts will feature babies’ names, and its an opportunity for us all to come together to celebrate these lives. 

We will begin with a brief kickoff, where we will read the names of all the babies we are honoring with this race.  Then we will kick-off the 5k portion, shortly followed by the 1-mile portion.  Kids can get around the course however they want - strollers, skipping, jogging, whatever! Just follow the dirt track and have fun - choose how many laps you want to do.

How do I include a baby's name on the t-shirt?

You must register by 4/23/26 to include a baby's name on every Jog for James t-shirt.  When you register, you'll be asked to provide the baby's first, middle, and last name, but please provide only what you feel comfortable with.  For example, Baby J or James McCoy or James McCoy Wilson are all acceptable!  Please list the name as you'd like it to be included on the t-shirt.

 

How do I begin?
You can register as an individual, create a team, or join a team. You can also register to volunteer at the event. 

As an individual, you are pledging to participate but not fundraise. You can be a race day participant or “virtual” participant (who cannot attend the race but will receive a t-shirt in the mail after the event). You can also include a donation with your registration, if you would like.

If you create a team (many teams are in honor of a baby), you are pledging to fundraise. You’ll create your own personal page, share your story and photos, set goals, and get sponsors.  With the help of social media, that’s really easy to do! If you fundraise $500 or more, you will be invited to design a sign that will be featured on the race course.

By joining a team, you are adding to the fundraising goal of that team. You are registering and participating as a member of that team.  You can do that as a race-day participant or as a “virtual” participant.

You can also choose to donate just to the event or to a specific team!  

  

Where is it located?

Events will take place rain or shine at the Community Playfield, 702 Locust Rd, Wilmette, IL 60091. Please plan to park on the side closest to Wilmette Junior High.  The start line will be on that side.

 

What is the schedule for the morning? 

Check in – 8:00 - 8:30 AM

Welcome – 8:30 AM
5k Kickoff - 8:40AM

1Mile kickoff - 8:45 AM
 

 

 

How will I fundraise?

Even if you've never raised money before, social media, emails, and other outreach will make it easy for you to solicit and collect sponsorships from friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and others. Make it personal, as you want them to know that they are sponsoring YOU and YOUR efforts! Tell your story, and you will be surprised to see how quickly friends, family, and co-workers will respond to your request to help this wonderful cause.  And share often on social media!  Additionally, many companies offer charitable donation matching programs, so make sure to ask your sponsors to check with their employers.

 

Is the event only for runners?

No! Jog for James is designed as a day of fun for the whole family. The course is not timed and it meant to be a day of celebration.  Think of it as a walking/running birthday celebration! Where we are all walking or running together to celebrate babies gone too soon. Some people may choose to run, because they like too! Others may choose to walk because that is more their speed. The most important thing is that people are coming together to honor these babies and raise awareness to ultimately help to save lives! The exercise portion is just a bonus!

For those that choose to do the 5-k options, they will make three laps around the dirt track.  For that choose to do the 1-mile option, one lap and you are done! The distance isn’t what matters - its the symbolic coming together and moving together that matters most!

There will be also be children's entertainment. Again, think a big birthday celebration!

 

Is parking available?  

Yes. There is plenty of parking on either side of the playfield or on the street.

 

Are you looking for sponsors?

YES!  Please see our sponsor page here

 

What are funds raised from the event used for?

Count the Kicks is an evidence-based stillbirth prevention and awareness campaign that teaches expectant parents the method for, and importance of, tracking fetal movement daily during the third trimester of pregnancy. 

Each year in the U.S., approximately 21,000 babies are born still, or 1 in every 177 pregnancies, making it 10 times more common than SIDS. According to the CDC, a black woman is more than twice as likely to lose her baby to stillbirth (1 in 96 pregnancies) than her white neighbor, colleague, or friend. Research shows that a change in movement is sometimes the only indication that a baby is in distress and needs to be checked by your doctor.

The Count the Kicks app has been downloaded more than 130,000 times by expectant moms in all 50 states and 141 countries. It’s an easy-to-use tool for expectant parents to monitor their baby’s well-being in addition to regular prenatal visits.

Through the Count the Kicks campaign there is a community of moms who are in tune with their bodies and their babies, letting providers know when something feels off. Time and time again this system works — and babies are being saved across the country. In the first 10 years of our campaign in Iowa, the state’s stillbirth rate decreased nearly 32 percent while the rest of the country remained relatively stagnant.  If we were to replicate the success experienced in Iowa, over 7,500 babies would be saved annually in the United States.

All proceeds will be used to directly impact our mission to prevent stillbirth and save babies in Illinois and beyond by assisting with the expansion of Count the Kicks education and resources for Illinois maternal health workers, expectant parents and the community-based organizations that support them.  Healthy Birth Day, Inc. is the 501(3)(c) non-profit responsible for the Count the Kicks campaign. Learn more at www.countthekicks.org.

 

Other questions?

Contact Kathleen, James Mom, at jogforjames@gmail.com