This weekend, for the second time, I will enter the big white tent on the lawn of Norris and not emerge for thirty hours. Going without sleep and without sitting down is indisputably challenging, but to me and the multitude of other students who flock to Dance Marathon every year, the sacrifice is without a doubt worth it.
I remember the exact moment I knew I was going to do Dance Marathon for the second time. After what had been one of the most painful and most exhausting days of my entire life, I was ready to leave that tent and never look back. I’d been told block ten, and the final total reval was amazing, but at that point, all I could think about was going home—until they brought out the big check. Before I knew it, we’d broken $1.1 million, and I couldn’t do anything except hug my best friends and let the tears pour down my face.
From that moment on, DM was stuck in my heart. No matter how hard Saturday afternoon is, or how much I know my feet are going to hurt this time around, I won’t be able to stay away.
That feeling was cemented when I learned about this year’s beneficiary, the Danny Did Foundation. Based in Chicago, Danny Did was found in January 2010 after a four-year-old boy named Danny Stanton died from a seizure in his sleep. According to their website, Danny Did focuses on two main goals: “advancing awareness of Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy […] and the mainstreaming of seizure detection and seizure prediction devices that may assist in preventing deaths caused by seizures.”
To me, Danny Did stands out because of their focus on the practical; instead of giving money to generic “research,” they are purchasing tools to help families affected by epilepsy and making lives easier and deaths preventable each day. On a more personal note, I know numerous people who have experienced seizures. By Dancing for Danny, I dance for them, too.
The secondary beneficiary remains the Evanston Community Foundation, a local group that provides grants to initiatives within the Evanston area. ECF has been our secondary beneficiary for three years, and as a member of the Northwestern and Community Relations committee this year, I’ve been lucky to see the amazing work they do and the amount they appreciate the effort NUDM puts into supporting them and the larger Evanston community.
In about 24 hours, students will flock to Norris in droves, armed with fanny packs, Gatorade, and knee braces, preparing for the onslaught of what truly is a thirty-hour marathon. Together, we will hit highs and lows, laugh and cry, and dance the night, the day, and the night again away, leaving a little more tired, a little more achy, and a lot more fulfilled
Visiting NUDM is welcomed by dancers, committee members, and exec alike. Hours are 8pm-11pm on Friday and 10am-10pm on Saturday. Entrance is $5.