WalkAmerica Thank You Breakfast ~ Chicago, IL

A busy week for Zeek and Betty, while still reveling in their White House visit, the Taylor's got to share their experiences with volunteers in Chicago!

Getting back into the swing of things...Betty and Zeek get to know the guests at their table.
The Taylor's take to the stage to share their story and thank volunteers in Chicago!!
Though it was a quick trip we did make it out to see some of the sights!!
Zeek's top choice, NAVY PIER!!

Hello, Mr. President ~ Washington, D.C.

After a LONG deserved rest...Zeek, his parents Betty & Corey, and brother Emanuel head to the White House to meet President Bush!! An annual visit for the March of Dimes National Ambassador, Zeek had his chance to greet the president, and see him fly in on Marine One!!

WalkAmerica is finally here ~ Philadelphia, PA

What a BEAUTIFUL weekend in Philadelphia!!! The Taylor's came up to the city of brotherly love to celebrate March of Dime' s#1 Fundraiser, WalkAmerica!!! They were welcomed back with open arms & open hearts to share in the excitement of the day...and was it a busy day indeed!!!

The walk route was covered with inspirational messages and thoughts
The Taylor Family got to cut the official ribbon, starting off the Walk at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The 2007 National Ambassador Family took a few minutes to spend some time with one of the March of Dimes National Sponsor's, Cigna!!

Zeek & Emanuel pose with Mrs. Roo & some fellow Health Partner's team members, as well as Timothy Kelly, a fellow preemie, who sang the National Anthem for the crowd!!
The Taylor's on stage before the Walk starts...
...Corey says a few words as well.
At the start line, Gene Terry, Executive Director, Southeast Pennsylvania Division, Tony Choppa, National Director of Revenue Initiatives, Tracey Davidson, NBC 10 anchor and Honorary Chair for WalkAmerica 2007, and the 2007 National Ambassador, Zeek and his family
The 2007 National Ambassador Family (Taylor's) and Philadelphia's 2007 Local Ambassador Family (the Gillespies's) pose along the walk route!

The Taylor's in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum!!
The Taylor's reach the finish line!!!
...and have a lot of work (and play) to do. First a TV interview LIVE with NBC 10
...then a hike up the "Rocky" steps of the art museum.
And what's a visit to the museum without the official Rocky pose :)
...and more importantly a little GIRL POWER!!

Next stop, face painting...
...the moon bounce!!!...and even PONY RIDES!!!!

Lot's of them!!!
I hope you have enjoyed our travels so far this year!!! As you can see it has been a busy season, and Zeek is eager to finish up the 2nd grade. We will be taking a short break from traveling, but our work is never done and we will be back very soon!!! Thanks for all your support and we look forward to sharing the rest of our travels starting up again in a few weeks!!!

Last trip before WalkAmerica Weekend ~ Oklahoma City, OK

Wow - it has been quite a week in the world...Zeek and Betty took their final trip before WalkAmerica and headed out to Oklahoma City, OK!! We had a phenomenal reception, and a fantastic week. The weather was beautiful for the first time :). There were many appointments, each one more exciting than the next! Thank you Oklahoma chapter for being so wonderful!! We wish you the best for your Walk! The 2007 National Ambassador Family (Betty & Zeek) are welcomed to town by the 2007 Local WalkAmerica Ambassador, Brooke, and her family...that is a lot of 'older brother' going on?
We had an early morning wake up with a mini radio tour...first stop, News Radio 1000 KTOK
...then we were off to 96.1 KXY...
and finally a great stop at 101.9, Twister!!

Then we headed to the State Capital and had a proclamation reading with members of the Supreme Court and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Members
Zeek was also presented a very grande token from the brothers (the highlight of his day :)
And we had a tour of the House Chambers with the Speaker of the House...
...and Zeek was then presented on the floor of the House (with Rep. Shelton) and had a resolution cited by a local representative
Before the day was over it was one more interview at News 9!!!

Breakfast with Farmer's Insurance at their National Call Center location
Zeek picks the big winner for one of the raffles!!!
Then we stopped at Columbus Elementary Enterprise School where students put on quite a show and presented the March of Dimes with a check for WalkAmerica
We ended our day at a Faith Community "Building Partnerships for Change" Forum... ...it was a very successful week...and now we are off to Walk in Raleigh, NC and then Philadelphia, PA! We hope to see lots of you out there walking!!!

Zeek throws a perfect strike ~ Cincinnatti, OH

Zeek, his parents, Betty & Corey, and his big brother Emanuel spent some time in Cincinnati, OH last week visiting local sights, meeting with March of Dimes sponsors and WalkAmerica teams...and even having the opportunity to throw out the first pitch a the REDS game...definitely a highlight, as well as a lasting impression on the town... Here the Taylor's receive a warm welcome from all the staff at the Cincinnati office

Zeek & Emanuel explore the Freedom Center and learn all about the Underground Railroad and how it shaped the lives of so many Americans
Then it was down to business...Zeek and Tom Browning, former Reds pitcher who pitched a perfect game, sign autographs during Citi's Carnival day for WalkAmerica!!!
Zeek and Emanuel participated in mostly ALL of the games they had available
...but most importantly the "wind" booth - where they had to collect as many "dollars" as possible to help support Citi's effort to save babies...
...Zeek took away the top prize with 35 points!!! Good work Zeek!!!

Betty and Corey looked on...they didn't want to mess up their hair :)
A view of the river from one of Cincinnati's many parks...
...and an early morning LIVE interview on Channel 9...a job well done!Then it was off to the Reds/Cubs game...where it turned out to be a VERY chilly day!
Here Zeek and local March of Dimes ambassador, Mackenzie try to warm up and toss a few pitches...

Once on the field, the two ambassadors worked the crowds...

...and the players as well!!!
Before the big throw...the news team at Channel 5 took a few minutes to interview the ambassadors
A last minute pep talk and advice from dad and Tom Browning

See how Zeek did http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EqvPS77ccs

And it was a success!!! More than Mayor Mallory could say...

From one coast to the next ~ Los Angeles, CA

Talk about some fun in the sun!! Even though it was a quick trip, we made the most of it. Zeek and Betty cam to LA to take part in a satellite media tour with Dancing With the Stars Host, and March of Dimes Celebrity Volunteer, Tom Bergeron!!! Four hours in a dark studio and 26 TV/radio interviews later...Betty, Zeek & Tom cam through with flying colors! Then it was off to the Getty Museum for a little R&R... Tom, Zeek & Betty come together to promote WalkAmerica, and help give all babies their full nine months!!

Tom and Zeek get a little silly...I guess that's what four hours in a dark room will do to you :)
Then it was off to the Getty!!! What a beautiful, sunny, California afternoon.
Taking a load off..
Betty and Zeek rest by one of the many gorgeous fountains...
Zeek even had the chance to test his creativity skills!!

And there he is at the bottom of the hill...he is definitely a little quicker than us :)
Zeek and Betty in over the stream and in front of the maze of gardens.
A closer look :)
Here they are near the stream with the Museum in the background!
And finally the picture perfect way to capture the day!! Such a beautiful place to experience together!!

The Big Apple ~ New York, NY

The Taylor's are in town for there big debut on Fox and Friends...but while we were there, we did a whole lot more!!!

The Taylor's take Manhattan...first stop Times Square
Emanuel and Zeek go a little bonkers for chocolate...
...and keep it up at the M&M flagship store!!

Then there was the Empire State Building in the distance...
...and of course we had to check it out!
The Taylor's even made their way to Jersey City to see the skyline from a distance :)
and finally LIVE on Fox & Friends with March of Dimes volunteer, Gretchen Carlson!
Corey even made some fast friends with Brian Mitchell and his football pals!!!

Motown...here we are ~ Detroit, MI

It may be a little late...but as busy as we are...it's better late than never :) Zeek and Betty have been non-stop traveling and we are finally catching up...here they are in Motown, checking out a few sites before the March of Dimes Golden Mile Walk!!

Another windy one in Pittsburgh!!

Zeek started his day bright and early with a little "gold coin" (of chocolate) from National City!
After sharing their story, Betty & Zeek take a few photo's with the Todd C. Moules, President of Pennsylvania Banking.

Next stop...KDKA channel 2 for a live interview with Kristine Sorensen!!
Then we headed upstairs to the radio station at KDKA...KDKA's, is known for the world's historic first radio broadcast on November 2, 1920...a little bit of history there!!!
...and we even snuck over to meet Michael Young, the General Manager at KDKA Radio!!

Zeek gets the chance to meet a fellow preemie at Magee Hospital's NICU.

And then ANOTHER radio interview...Zeek has really gotten the hang of these!
Off to the home of some more creative geniuses who like to help save babies...we toured Blattner Brunner Advertising and Zeek got to let his creativity flow!!!
...who would have thought he would have chosen exercise for his downtime at the UPMC SportsWorks.

then he raced of the blocks against Kelley Malcolm from the local Pittsburgh office...I won't tell you who won :)
Of course...another special dinner for the chef in training at Steelhead Brassiere...where we enjoyed a front row set to the kitchen and a fantastic tasting menu of all of Zeek's favorite foods...mainly seafood!!
Until Zeek got behind the doors to whip up a little something sweet for dessert!
We then ended our tour at the very emotional Washington County Kickoff hosted by the County Commissioners.
...then to entertain ourselves during a LONG wait at the airport...we decided to take pictures with a Steelers player who happened to be hanging out!!!

Brand new day, brand new city ~ Pittsburgh, PA

Another trip to the (somewhat) northeast...and another day of snow...but apparently as we learned, here in Pittsburgh...it can be grey and snow all day, yet never accumulate an inch...who knew...Betty and Zeek had a blast seeing it come and go all day long!!!

Zeek started the day like many other on the road...signing autographs!! this time at the Urban League of Pittsburgh!
Here Zeek dives right in to a book he received as a gift from the Urban League.
It wouldn't be a National Ambassador trip without a stop at our national sponsors, Famous Footwear...
...or Kmart for that matter!! As always, we had quite a reception at each.
Next stop was a lunch and team captain kickoff at FedEx ground!!!

Betty & Zeek did get a minute to relax on the Monongahela Incline...try to say that five times, fast...impossible, but loads of fun :)
...and what a view of the city from the top!!
...and then we had to RUN back for cover...it really was snowing sideways!!!
Before we headed out of downtown, we stopped off at a local team, Marc USA...and they made Zeek and official Steelers fan.

Here Zeek poses with the company's team captains!!!
...and then they got down and dirty checking out all the loot Zeek came away with!
Our last stop before we called it a night and headed to dinner was Magee Hospital to visit their NICU and thank all the nurses and doctors for all they do for babies.
Finally, Chef Ed, prepared us quite a feast at P.F. Chang's!!!
...and Zeek got another tour of the kitchen...that is a LOT of rice up there!!!

Still busy & enjoying northern, central, and southern NJ!