If you’re on Facebook, chances are you’ve seen at least one status from a friend asking for donations to their Terp Thon donor drive.
Don’t know what Terp Thon is? You should because it’s the largest student-run philanthropy in Maryland and the ninth top Miracle Network Dance Marathon in the nation, according to their website.
Terp Thon raises money each year for Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. their Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Every year since 2010, hundreds of dedicated students spend hours fundraising leading up to Terp Thon’s Dance Marathon, a 12-hour event. This year, the Dance Marathon will be held on March 5 at the University of Maryland’s Reckord Armory.
So why is Terp Thon so great? Well, aside from it being an amazing organization of people so passionate about supporting the Miracle Kids and Families at Children’s National, Terp Thon’s Dance Marathon is pretty much the best 12 hours of your life.
To prove this, I asked members from this year’s Terp Thon Planning Team why they love being involved in this miracle-making day and here’s what they had to say:
Photo: Hannah Gray
“Terp Thon is the best 12 hours of my life because for 12 hours I’m not just another college kid, I’m a part of a movement that’s literally saving the lives of some amazing children… what could be better than that?” – Hannah Gray, senior, Morale committee
Photo: Chelsea Bonenberger
“Terp Thon was, is, and will be the best 12 hours of my life because it’s 12 hours that our Miracle Kids can forget about their illnesses and injuries. Terp Thon is 12 hours of smiles, dancing, and love.” – Chelsea Bonenberger, senior, Corporate Relations committee
Miracle Kid Jaiwen at Terp Thon 2015. Photo: Terp Thon’s Facebook page
“Having the chance to not only meet, but also build relationships with some of the Miracle Children we help is priceless. The dance marathon itself can’t be put into words, you have to go and see for yourself to truly understand. Joining Terp Thon has definitely been one of the highlights of college.” – Catalina Mejia, sophomore, Morale committee
Photo: Hannah Chi
“Terp Thon is the 12 best hours of my life because it’s a time that we can celebrate our Miracle Kids and celebrate our year-round efforts. The energy during those 12 hours is unparalleled, and our Dance Marathon reminds us that there is no dream too big, no dreamer too small.” – Hannah Chi, sophomore, Corporate Relations Chair
Miracle Kid Amanda at Terp Thon 2015. Photo: Terp Thon’s Facebook page
“No matter what kind of day I’m having, doing something FTK inspires me! It’s about realizing how incredibly lucky we are, not taking a single day for granted, and making miracles every day in the lives of sick children.” – Kelly Stipa, freshman, Corporate Relations committee
(FTK means For The Kids, in case you didn’t know)
Photo: Terp Thon’s Facebook page
“Because I get to see all our year round hard work for the kids come together.” – Megan Grigoletti, sophomore, Mini Marathons committee
Photo: Terp Thon’s Facebook page
“Terp Thon is the best 12 hours of my life because I will get the chance to meet my heroes, the people who inspire me every single day of the year. I could not be more excited to spend time with these incredible kids!” – Katie O’Reilly, sophomore, Corporate Relations committee
Photo: Terp Thon’s Facebook page
“I love Terp Thon because every single person in the room has contributed to changing the life of a child, and we get to celebrate it! Another thing I love about it is how excited our Miracle Kids are, they love Terp Thon too and deserve to be treated like celebrities for the day!” – Jessica Schoen, sophomore, Fundraising committee
Photo: Terp Thon’s Facebook page
“I love Terp Thon because of the kids… for this one day they are the stars. They are why we raise all this money and why we stand for 12 hours. These kids have truly changed my life through their passion.” – Samantha Curbelo, junior, Morale committee
“Terp Thon felt like such a special experience for me just because of the singularity of the moment – everyone was gathered for the same cause of helping others, and were so passionate about the cause that they took a day out of their busy lives to spread awareness and contribute to the movement.” – Uday Misra, sophomore, Corporate Relations committee
For more information, visit terpthon.org