DANVILLE —More than 500 people turned out Sunday to march through Danville and Riverside to raise awareness about premature births.

Participants were encouraged to donate to the March of Dimes, and many walkers formed teams to collect donations.

One of those marchers was Darla Farr, of Danville, who said her team of 30 raised about $1,000.

Almost two years ago, Farr was waiting for her youngest son, Will, who was born at 27 weeks, to recover in Geisinger Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit.

At that time, she met with other parents who had gone through what she was experiencing. A group of current and former preemie parents had gathered in the lobby of the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital for a pizza party.

One couple brought their son, whose own trials as a premature infant mirrored Will’s, Farr said. He also was born at 27 weeks and had experienced many of the same health problems as Farr’s son.

“Their little boy was running around the fountain (in the lobby of the children’s hospital), laughing and playing,” she said, “and that offered a huge amount of support.”

Today, Will is nearly 2 and as healthy as any boy his age, said his mother. “He’s walking and talking and probably ahead of the game in terms of that stuff.”

Approximately 12 percent of children are born prematurely, according to Dr. Eric Bieber, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Geisinger.

“There aren’t too many of us, given those kinds of numbers, that won’t be affected by it,” he said.

Carrie Cook, associate state director for the March of Dimes, was impressed with the show of community support for the cause, noting the most recent “March for Babies” established in Pennsylvania was 15 years ago in St. Marys and 150 people showed up.

“Well, take a look around folks,” she said Sunday. “You did an outstanding job.”

What made the turnout all the more impressive, Bieber said, was that “no one knew it was going to be phenomenal weather when they committed.”

-- E-mail comments to rscott@dailyitem.com.