More than three million children are hospitalized within the United States every year. Out of that three million, 13,500 children are diagnosed with cancer, 33% of newborns are born with birth defect and many other children suffer from various other afflictions such as asthma or broken bones.
Every year, over 300 universities across the country band together by putting on dance marathons to support their local children’s hospital through Children’s Miracle Network.
On April 2014 New Mexico State University joined pack with the establishment of AggieThon, which was founded by Hannah Parker and Elizabeth Leatherman. The student organization helps raise awareness towards children battling life-threatening diseases through various activities and fundraisers in support of Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.
“The year before we started AggieThon, UNM started LoboThon,” Elizabeth Leatherman, one of the founders of AggieThon said. “We then sorta just figured that NMSU also needed a dance marathon so we could also support our community in the southern part of the state.”
One of the most popular fundraisers that the organization holds is an annual 12 hour dance marathon with this past weekend being their second since the organization’s establishment.
Leatherman shared that since AggieThon’s induction into the community, support for the organization was been very high with many families associated with the Children’s Miracle Network, attending the events. In fact, one miracle child, Seth, 7, who was diagnosed with leukemia, attended last year’s dance off and the AggieThon community even got to join him and his family at his “Seth Beats Cancer” celebration party.
According to Leatherman, the group raised a total of $15,033 last year. Leatherman also shared that they hoped to raise at least $22,000 for this year’s event. Currently, the amount collected from this year’s dance off is still under calculation. According to some of the attendees, the turn out this semester was definitely successful– the group even managed to brong country band, Border Avenue to this event!
Since Leatherman and many of the others will be graduating this upcoming May, AggieThon is currently recruiting new members to help run the organization next year.
For more information check out their website at http://www.aggiethon.com/ for more details on fundraisers for the upcoming semester and how to join.
Photo Courtesy of AggieThon’s Facebook