David Padegimas Joins March of Dimes Board of Directors

EAST LONGMEADOW — Aaron Smith, P.C., a certified public accounting firm serving individuals and businesses in the Pioneer Valley, announced that Managing Director David Padegimas has joined the March of Dimes board of directors for a two-year term.

Originally established by President Franklin Roosevelt as a polio patient-aid program that funded research for vaccines, the March of Dimes is a collaboration of scientists, clinicians, parents, members of the business community, and other volunteers in every state. The vaccines effectively ended the polio epidemic in the U.S., and in 1958, the March of Dimes’ focus shifted to babies born premature and with birth defects.

For 77 years, the March of Dimes has worked to improve maternal and child health through activities that include funding research and field trials for the eradication of polio, promoting newborn screening, and educating medical professionals and the public about best practices for healthy pregnancy.

“The March of Dimes is an outstanding organization dedicated to giving babies a healthy start in life,” said Padegimas. In his role, Padegimas will oversee the business of the chapter and implement the March of Dimes strategic plan along with his fellow board members.

Padegimas has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of corporate, estate, and individual tax; business planning; and business-advisory services. He has been a member of Aaron Smith, P.C., since 1981. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.

“The March of Dimes would not survive without the support and leadership of our volunteers,” said Stephen Sycks, division director at the March of Dimes. “There is a lot of work to be done in Massachusetts, and David will help us achieve our goals through a generous donation of his time and business acumen.”

The goals Sycks referred to are mostly focused on reducing preterm birth. Last year, Massachusetts was awarded the Virginia Apgar Prematurity Campaign Leadership Award for reducing preterm births by 8{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}. However, Massachusetts earned a ‘B’ on the 2014 March of Dimes Preterm Birth Report Card, as 10{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of births were preterm, falling short of the March of Dimes’ 2020 goal of 9.6{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}.