Dance Marathon season is upon us and it has arrived in full swing. If you live under a rock and aren’t aware of the great event that is Dance Marathon, it’s an organization that raises funds for our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in Gainesville and FSU College of Medicine Pediatric Outreach Program. This is Dance Marathon’s 23rd year at FSU and the theme is “Up to Us.” Students register as dancers and raise money over the course of several months until the Marathon occurs in March. There, dancers are required to stand for a total of 20 hours, and at the end of the Marathon, the grand total of what was raised among the school is revealed. Last year, FSU brought in a grand total of 1,830,167.28 dollars! For the Kids!
This past Wednesday was Florida Statement, where all universities participating in Dance Marathon in the state of Florida had a goal to raise in 26.2 hours. FSU was challenged to raise a total of 262,000 dollars in the 26.2 hours given. Dancers were spotted all over campus begging students for spare change to donate. Facebook messages were sent out and Venmo requests were poppin’ all over social media. With the dedication of every dancer and the generosity of donors, FSU was able to go above and beyond and ended up surpassing their goal. A grand total of 302,535.34 dollars was raised in just 26.2 hours! All For the Kids!
If you’re interested in dancing, register on FSU Dance Marathon’s website. You must raise at least 300 dollars to be able to participate in the event! To raise money, a lot of students will offer rides, do funny things on campus (such as wearing a hot dog costume to class) and offer their services such as editing papers, tutoring, etc. There are countless ways to raise money to reach goals and there are countless incentives to give out to donors. Some participants even have raffles for their donors, where someone wins a gift card to a place of their choosing.
At the actual event in March, there are two shifts where participants are required to stand for 20 hours. There are a couple of incentives if you raise a certain amount during the Marathon, such as a nap, coffee, food, etc. You are also allowed to have someone bring you food and drinks during the Marathon. At the end of the second shift, the total amount raised is revealed. If you find a dry eye in the entire place, I’ll be surprised. So much dedication and hard work have gone into this event, and to be a part of something bigger than yourself is extremely humbling. So, register to dance, raise money, donate to others’ accounts. Do whatever you can to make miracles, and do it all For the Kids.
*All images courtesy of FSU Dance Marathon’s Facebook.