Terp Thon is coming back for a fifth year to help in the yearlong effort to raise money to Children’s National Health System. The year of fund raising culminates in a 12-hour dance marathon at Ritchie Coliseum on Sat., March 8 at 12 p.m.
Students, across campus will come and stand for these 12 hours to show their sympathy and support to the nurses who stand the entire time during their long shifts in the hospital.
Last year’s Terp Thon raised $306,735.45 which was over $168,000 more than they made since 2011. The team behind Terp Thon only plans to increase the amount of funds they have raised for these children and families.
“I am most looking forward to our reveal at midnight to see how much money we’ve raised,” senior marketing and economics major Sam Hills said.
Sam Hills is the fundraising captain for Terp Thon this year and said the teams’ fundraising methods have been in full force all year.
On campus students have been shouting “FTK” all year. Students chanting this unofficial motto of Terp Thon were canning for the cause, according to Hills. Aside from fundraising through canning, the team held letter-writing campaigns, had social media pushes and held the Color Run.
The Color Run took place first semester to raise awareness and funds for the event. The event started on the mall and people walked around campus while colored powder was thrown at them. The success of this event set the tone for Terp Thon.
Last year Terp Thon’s home was Cole Fieldhouse but Hills is very excited about this year’s move to Ritchie Coliseum and says the event will be a lot of fun to have at the venue.
The Terp Thon venue must have a huge dance floor to hold the dance moves of over 1200 people. In addition to the large amount of students, alumni and faculty, and 22 children from the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in DC attend the event.
During the year the hospital relation’s team plans events for the kids who are patients at the hospital and their families. The team boosts morale of the kids and families who have to spend their nights in hospitals and builds relationships with them. Sophomore kinesiology major Ariel Gleaner is on the hospital relation’s team.
“It is amazing because at Terp Thon we [the hospital relation’s team] are able to spend the dance marathon alongside the kid,” said Gleaner. “Interacting with the kids before the event is great because when we are raising money we know exactly where the money is going and we feel great about it.”
Sophomore Yasmine Guedalia has been a part of the recruitment committee for Terp Thon. Guedalia along with the team worked really hard to get students to be involved in the event. The team handed out flyers in dining halls, chalked sidewalks and held events at freshmen residence halls.
“It’s hard to get people who aren’t involved in major student organizations to come to the event,” Guedalia said. “So we went to students personally to try and spread the word about the event.”
To attend the event, dancers had to raise $100 and if you have not yet raised the money you can still come and pay at the door. People coming should be prepared to dance the whole day and help out an influential cause.
FTK!