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For The Kids: UGA Dance Marathon 2016

Kendall Lake Student Contributor, University of Georgia
UGA Contributor Student Contributor, University of Georgia
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UGA chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

 

From 10am on Saturday, February 20th to 10am on Sunday, February 21st, Tate Grand Hall was home to over the 2,500 students and participants of Dance Marathon 2016. Dance Marathon is UGA Miracle’s 24 hour capstone event that wraps up a year of fundraising for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a Miracle Network hospital. For these 24 hours, Miracle took over half of Tate to share touching and emotional family stories, inspire that last bit of fundraising, and of course, dance! 

Many of the participants in Dance Marathon choose to take a 24 hour standing challenge in honor of all the children with illnesses and conditions that make them unable to stand. These passionate students end up with aching feet, swollen knees, and sore legs, but they are happy to do it all “For the Kids,” or as Miracle members often chant, FTK! First year Allie Ibarra attended part of DM in support of her roommate Maria Granros, who did the 24 hour standing challenge. “Even with a hurt ankle, she stood for those who could not, and I could not be more proud,” said Ibarra.

At one point during Dance Marathon, Miracle participants were able to raise an astounding $21,000 in only ten minutes. It is truly amazing what motivated bulldawgs can do when they fight relentlessly for a common goal. And this year, Miracle’s goal was very ambitious: $1,000,000. To put things in perspective, this was twice as much as last year’s goal! When I first heard it, it seemed crazy. But if there’s anything UGA Miracle has taught me, it’s that together we can move mountains. First year Maria Granros feels the same way: “With all the dedication and heart of the students and families, there really is nothing we can’t do when we work together. Everywhere I looked at DM, I was blown away by how evident and how present miracles were all around me from the love of this amazing organization.” 

And we did it. Around 10am this morning, after 24 hours of DM madness, we were all herded into the stands of Sanford Stadium for the big reveal. Nervous chattering and jittery energy filled the air as the total began to count up on the board. After several minutes of intense anticipation, this year’s fundraising total was finally revealed: $1,068,358.15. Not only did UGA Miracle achieve their incredible goal, they overshot by almost $70,000. Sanford Stadium erupted into screams, cheers, sobbing, and chants of “FTK, FTK, FTK.”

Because in the midst of all the dancing, fundraising, and memories, it’s important to remember the true purpose of UGA Miracle and Dance Marathon: it’s all for the kids.

Kendall Lake

UGA '19

Kendall is pursuing a bachelors in journalism and a masters in emerging media in at the University of Georgia. After joining Her Campus UGA in the fall of 2015, she became one of the team's Campus Correspondents in fall 2016. During this time, HC UGA has flourished, moving from the Bronze level all the way to Pink, and it has been selected for national partnerships including the Her Campus Tour in 2018. Kendall hopes to someday work in the intersection of technology and journalism, and she adores books, travel, volunteering, and the color teal.
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