Graphic: BobacThon.com
Arm in arm, Rufus the Bobcat, Carly Damman and Ronald McDonald pose in a photo, showing how Ohio University and the Ronald Mcdonald House have come together for a charitable cause. Damman, who is now an OU alum, thought of the idea of a charitable dance marathon after her internship at Ronald McDonald House Charities. What was just an idea is about to become a dream come true as BobcaThon prepares to make its debut on February 14.
BobcaThon will be the first university wide dance-a-thon at OU. Since the start of the school year in August, word has spread, teams have signed-up and donations have been collected to support the families of RMHC. With a full executive board, promotions and events have been held throughout the semester to get students excited about the event. BobcaThon has been working towards their mission to unite the community and spread awareness.
“The donations and the people, those are all an added bonus, but hearing students talk about BobcaThon and Ronald McDonald House with a smile on their face is the primary reason we do this,” BobcaThon President Mackenzie Leskovec said.
Each time a participant registers for the event, 25 dollars is donated. There is an option to register individually or as a team. This has allowed several organizations and clubs on campus to take part including, Student Alumni Board, Swim Club, Sigma Kappa and many others.
The twelve hour dance-a-thon will be busy with events, speakers and line dancing. The participants will be grouped into different teams and compete with each other in games and dance competitions. Also, every hour will be set up for a family from the Ronald McDonald House to speak.
“We have twelve families attending the event and if we are able to put smiles on their faces and make them feel special, we have done our job. They are the reason we dance,” Leskovec said.
All of the events will lead up to the closing ceremony when the total raised will be announced. So far $7,000 has been raised to support the families. With an ending goal of $12,000, the money collected will be able to support over one hundred families at RMHC.
“It has been a stressful, yet fulfilling experience! When we go to the RMHC house and see the families, they tell us how grateful we are and what we are doing is amazing,” Director of Morale Robert Chandler said.
It’s not too late to sign-up! Register here by February 6th and check out Carly Damman’s blog post.