With an exceeding amount of hard work and dedication, participants of this year’s UGA Miracle Dance Marathon accomplished much more than staying up for 24 hours straight; they made history raising $346,289.13, the highest amount ever achieved in all 18 years the organization has been on campus.
In only it’s second year offering the Standing Challenge, UGA Miracle encouraged over 200 students to stand for the full 24 hours honoring the kids of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for whom standing IS a challenge.
On Feb 23, Tate Grand Hall was filled with those excited to stand and Miracle team members anticipating the arrival of the children and their families.
The families were guided along a path of black animal footprints to enter the Grand Hall through an arch made entirely out of zebra and cheetah print balloons.
As they were greeted with chants and welcoming smiles and laughs, their faces said it all: it was going to be an incredible 24 hours.
There were many activities in store for the participants and their families including team competitions, an out-door scavenger hunt and dancing, dancing, and more dancing!
Over the course of the 24 hours, each miracle family was given time to share their miracle story inspiring strength in the students to continue on through the wee hours of the morning.
“It only takes one moment to change the rest of your life,” Leanne Shaw said, a 24-year-old who suffered from a traumatic brain injury from a car accident when she was 15.
The room fell silent; Shaw’s comment certainly served as motivation to everyone listening to her story.
Charles Ritter, the father of a miracle child, Thompson Ritter, who suffered from a severe tumor in his back, stood next to his son when he said, “We love being around the people that make such a difference in our lives.”
UGA Miracle provides an environment for student’s different from other campus organizations.
Students create their own miracle family and unite together to accomplish one goal: to make a difference in a child’s life forever.