This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C of C chapter.
Each year schools and universities across the country come together for one special cause: raising money for the children at their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
Dance Marathon is an event that helps make miracles happen for kids all over the country by getting students involved in a fun and interactive way to help inspire people in their community to give to the kids who need it most.
This year, Dance Marathon at College of Charleston is a little more special as they celebrate their 10th year of Dance Marathon at the College. Emily LaCroix, Assistant Director of this year’s Dance Marathon, has been a part of the event for the past three years.
How did you first get involved with DM?
I first heard about DM from the student activities email my freshman year, but I didn’t get involved until after I joined Phi Mu in the 2nd semester of my freshman year.
What was the most inspirational moment you’ve witnessed since being involved with DM?
Hearing the MUSC families talk about how much the Children’s Hospital has helped them throughout the years is incredible, and they always talk about how much they look forward to DM and how much their kids love it. Seeing the kids playing with all the college students and having an amazing time makes it all worth it.
Why do you encourage as many people as possible to participate?
The more people at the event, the better the atmosphere at the event is. More people are dancing, more people are laughing and more people are having fun with the kids. The more people we have at DM, the bigger our impact on the community becomes!
What are some of the things that the exec board has planned for this year?
This year, the event is filled with some amazing things. There are live bands, DJs, performances from clubs on campus and tons of other activities throughout the day to keep people excited, happy and having fun.
What is your favorite thing about DM, and what does it mean to you?
My favorite part of DM is the end when we reveal how much money we’ve raised throughout the year. Regardless of how high or low the number is, we’ve made miracles. We’re raising money directly for MUSC Children’s Hospital, and knowing that all our hard work will help the kids makes everything worth it.
As Assistant Director of this year’s event, what were some of your responsibilities?
As assistant director, I did my best to help out everyone on the executive board. If anyone came to me asking for help with a task, or wanted some ideas or inspiration, I was always there to help. I tried to fill in the gaps when we noticed something needed to be done and I tried to keep morale up on the executive board as much as possible.
What has being a part of DM taught you?
Dance Marathon has taught me more than I can put into words. Of course it’s taught me leadership and time management strategies, but it’s taught me even more. It’s taught me how to be a team player. It’s taught me how to adapt to different situations and how to respond when life throws you curveballs. It’s taught me how to be persistent.
Dance Marathon has taught me that instant gratification is not the most important. It’s taught me to think of more than just myself and that although this generation gets a lot of crap for being lazy and apathetic, we really are making a huge difference. Dance Marathons across the country are raising millions of dollars every year to help children in their local CMN Hospitals and that’s so incredible. Dance Marathon has taught me that helping the kids is one of the most important things you can do in life, because without the kids, we have no future.
As a senior on the DM exec board, what do you hope for future exec boards to accomplish?
My hope for the future executive boards is for them to all believe they left the organization in a better place than it was when they found it. I hope they keep being unafraid to make important changes, being unafraid to ask for help and keep being incredible. I hope the future exec boards keep the DM spirit alive and achieve our goal of getting a room at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital named after DM at COFC.
What are you most excited about for this year’s Dance Marathon?
I’m most excited for the finale. Not only are we announcing how much money we’ve raised for the year, but we’re revealing how much money we’ve raised in the past 10 years!
Anything to add?
There’s still time to register for the event! Included in your registration you get a t-shirt, 3 meals, and so much live entertainment! It’s a truly life changing event and I encourage everyone to come!
To register for Dance Marathon at CofC, check out tinyurl.com/dmatcofc. If you aren’t able to attend the event, you can still donate at tinyurl.com/dmatcofcdonate.
All photos courtesy of Emily Lacroix and the Dance Marathon at CofC Facebook page.