While this year’s Dance Marathon ZiggyThon is still months away, the team for this annual fundraiser for Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo is getting prepared for the big day.

    Core Committee Captains were revealed in early September and registration opened soon after. With the start of fundraising, the Dance Marathon Morale Captains play an important part in ensuring the success of the event.

    There are 20 Morale Captains this year, two of which are miracle children from Mercy and students at the University. These captains have several responsibilities at ZiggyThon and leading up to the event.

    They play the role of motivators, recruiters and fundraisers as they work to build excitement in participants. Morale Captains also attend all events prior to ZiggyThon and work with organizations on campus to encourage them to join the Dance Marathon program.

    On the day of the big event, the Morale Captains instill enthusiasm in and give moral support to the dancers. ZiggyThon marketing chair Sara Petty emphasized their importance in making the University’s Dance Marathon program a success and described what she expects of this year’s group of Morale Captains.

    “I hope that, more than anything, they help us reach all of the goals we have set for Dance Marathon this year,” Petty said. “I hope each of them is able to resonate with at least one person and inspire them to become as passionate about Dance Marathon as they are.”

    This is the 23rd year of ZiggyThon at the University. Over two decades of fundraising for the kids (FTK) takes a whole team of students and faculty to continue.

    “So much goes into this event and so many people work incredibly hard each and every year to make our final reveal number as miraculous as it always is,” Petty said.

[Morale Captain Spotlight]

Meet your Morale Captains

BG News will be introducing you to the Morale Captains in following issues. Check in each week to meet a new member of the ZiggyThon team!

Teresa Puckrin

What inspired you to become a Morale Captain?

What inspired me to become a Morale Captain for Dance Marathon is knowing that I could give back to a hospital that saved my life.

What goals do you have for ZiggyThon?

A personal goal I am setting for myself this year as a Morale Captain is to not be afraid to share my medical conditions with others. As someone who has personally seen where the money goes, my goal is to raise as much money as I can FOR THE KIDS!

What are you most excited about for this year’s Dance Marathon program?

I have many things I am excited about regarding this year’s Dance Marathon, but if I would just pick one thing, it would be spending time with the miracle children and having them forget about their medical conditions for however much time they are at Dance Marathon. As being part of Dance Marathon for five years as a miracle child, every year, I would not be seen as the girl who has medical conditions, and have received many friendships from this wonderful organization because of how everyone treated me.