Name: Toby Nicastro
Grade: Senior
Major: Architecture
Hometown: Nutley, NJ
Position on Dance Marathon Exec: Dancer Relations Chair
Organizations involved in around campus: Greek Life, Orientation Leader, AIAS
Favorite part of Lehigh: My favorite part of Lehigh is definitely the people here. From students to staff, there are so many wonderful and passionate people to meet around campus.
Lehigh bucketlist: To go into the catacombs under the church
How did you get involved with dance marathon? I got involved my second semester sophomore year when I heard about it from a friend. My sister was really involved in THON when she was at Penn State and seeing the impact it had on her made me really excited and want to get involved with Dance Marathon at Lehigh. Being able to see the effect that our efforts have on the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a hospital that my cousin was treated at, and all of the kids there is absolutely incredible and so rewarding.
How can people raise the proceeds? As the Dancer Relations Chair I send out a lot of emails to people and talk a lot about fundraising, and the first thing I tell people to do is just ask. Sending out emails to family and friends or posting on your Facebook is such an easy way to ask for personal donations. If someone does not want to give, they don’t have to, but most people are surprised by how many donations they get. Also, you can save up your change or skip a cup of coffee one day and making a personal donation. You will quickly forget about that $5 donation, but when a bunch of people all donate small amounts it can have a really big impact on a child’s life.
What has been the biggest challenge and greatest reward as Dancer Relations Chair on DM exec? My biggest challenge so far has been simply getting people to hear about the event and then once they hear about it, getting them excited for it. My job mainly consists of getting dancers registered for the event, and it is always shocking to me to hear how many people don’t even know that this event is going on. When you do get to tell people about the event, though, and tell them that Miracle Kids from CHOP come to our event, seeing how excited people get by that is really rewarding! Also, as the weeks have gone by and more and more people are registered (we now have 800+ registered!) and we are raising more and more money it is really exciting to see those numbers climb.
What are your hopes for the future of Dance Marathon at Lehigh? I really want Dance Marathon to grow and become a tradition on Lehigh’s campus. Because we are only in our second year we are at an opportunity where the event can really either lose steam or grow into something amazing on campus. I hope that Dance Marathon only continues to get bigger and better and is something that everyone on campus not only knows about, but is excited to come, fundraise, and support the kids!