Last weekend, I participated in BuckeyeThon, which is Ohio State’s huge dance marathon that raises money for children with cancer. Ohio State pairs with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to help kids in the Columbus area. Immediately when I got to campus in the fall, there were signs and other advertisements for BuckeyeThon. I could tell it was a big deal (and it is – our dance marathon is one of America’s largest).
The first step was joining a team, which I just joined through my dorm. Essentially, you had to network to fundraise $250 in order to participate in the dance marathon. It sounds like a high number, but you would be surprised how many families and companies are willing to donate to help end childhood cancer. From Feb. 9 to 10, everyone who hit their goal of $250 went to the Ohio Union, where they stayed on their feet for 12 hours straight. The point of not sitting down for half the day is in honor of the kids who are tirelessly fighting for their lives.At the Union, they had numerous events to keep us entertained. There was animals, face painting, disco, line dancing, Zumba, and lots of food! Once the marathon was over, they revealed how much money Ohio State had raised, and it was over a million dollars. Knowing that I was a part of raising such a large amount of money was amazing. BuckeyeThon reminded me of how lucky I am just to be healthy and that even doing something small like dancing can make a difference in someone’s life. In college, sometimes everything starts to be just about ourselves, so it was nice to do something for others. President Drake mentioned that every kid deserves at least a chance to be a Buckeye at this awesome school. If I helped give even one kid that chance, being awake all night was worth it.
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