Several golfers were heroes for a day.

Forty-eight golfers competed in the Be a Hero for Babies golf tournament on July 17. The tournament at Meadowbrook raised more than $7,000 for the March of Dimes.

"Obviously, I think it is a great cause," said David Myler, the district manager of Farmers Insurance. "What can be better than raising money to help newborn babies?"

The tournament, which was in its first year, will become an annual event, Myler said. Farmers Insurance has a Be a Hero for Babies Day in which all local agents and employees raise money for March of Dimes.

"We are one of the largest sponsors of the March of Dimes year after year," Myler said.

The state March of Dimes is thankful for the support.

"We are extremely excited and proud of Farmers Insurance with all the work they did in raising the money," said Chellee Nemec, the community director for Rapid City and Northern Hills area.

Funds will fund education, advocacy and support of March of Dimes programs.

"We work directly with hospitals, clinics and schools about how to prevent prematurity," she said. "The mission of the March of Dimes is (preventing) prematurity, birth defects and infant mortality.

It's important for the community to know what a vital role the MOD plays."

South Dakota has a prematurity - or premature birth rate - of 12.6 percent. The national average is

12.7 percent.

"If you think about that number and you think about that in comparison to other states, we have a pretty high prematurity rate," Nemec said. "We are not the highest state, but that is definitely a cause for concern."

The golf tournament was not the only local fundraiser for the March of Dimes. The organization also hosted the Bikers for Babies Poker Run on June 27. Ninety-three bikers travelled to five stops to gather cards and at the end, the top three poker hands won. The event raised $6,000.

The March of Dimes also had a Dee Snider Orange County custom chopper motorcycle worth $52,000 donated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. The bike was raffled at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

"They were extremely successful events, and both are events we are looking at continuing," Nemec said. "Everybody involved was really involved. It was definitely a good time. The money stays in South Dakota, so we do our best to give back to the people that give to us. And I am just really thankful to the Rapid City community for embracing the events."

The next event for the March of Dimes is the Rapid City Jail and Bail on Sept. 16 at Black Hills Bagels. Business professionals will be recruited to do time for the March of Dimes by getting donations to bail themselves out of jail. The fundraising goal is $35,000.

For more information about the March of Dimes and local events, contact mnemec@marchofdimes .com.