Those involved in Dance Marathon 2010 will do more than host a fundraiser; they will celebrate the lives of the thousands of children affected by life-threatening diseases.
Dance Marathon will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Student Recreation Center and will continue until Sunday at 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Preparation for Dance Marathon is a year-round activity. Started in 1995 by a group of University students, Dance Marathon has grown to become Ohio’s largest student-run philanthropic event. Every year more than 1,500 students, faculty and community volunteers donate their time to help provide medical services for the Children’s Miracle Network, a patron of Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo.
The event’s earnings will help pay for child life programs, medical equipment purchases and research funding. Dance Marathon director, senior Michelle Robinson said achieving their financial goal is crucial for the success of the benefit.
“Dance Marathon supplies Mercy Children’s Hospital with a third of their operating budget,” Robinson said. “So we really have something to live up to every year. If we don’t do our part, something gets lost. Programs get cut, services for the children are discontinued. This all happens if we don’t hold up our end of the deal.”
Funds for the benefit are raised in several ways. Students and faculty members who are interested in being dancers can collect donations by staying on their feet for the full 32-hour event. Bikes for Tykes is another way people can participate in Dance Marathon. The 180-mile three-day bike trip starts in Cincinnati and ends back at Dance Marathon for the closing ceremony.
For the last 15 years, Dance Marathon has collected more than $2.5 million in proceeds. Local area businesses have helped support the event by donating money and several promotional products.
Rose Wilson, manager at the Enclave, said being involved in the event will not only help advertising, but will also bring the community together for a good cause.
“We donated 250 water bottles for Bikes for Tykes,” Wilson said. “We’re very proud to be a sponsor and to see all the businesses show support for Dance Marathon.”
With attendance expected to reach more than 2,500 people, Dance Marathon will have food, games, live music and lots of dancing. One of the event’s entertainers will be D.J. Scrilla, a young up and coming rapper from Cleveland who has opened for Petey Pablo.
By the time the event is over, some student volunteers, like senior Jacob Lawrence, might feel the personal gratification is a rewarding feeling.
“We connect over 1,000 students every year who all want to better another person’s life. In the end after you look back and see what you were apart of, it triggers a different emotion,” he said. “We show people we’re not your typical college students, we give back to the community for a greater cause than our own.”