People come and go at the Dance Marathon. The moralers and their captains stay to help, and to support the dancers.

“This is my first year as moraler,” said Abbey Stahl, who is an interior design major. “I have to do things with the girls, the dancers, the boys, whatever they need. I like Dance Marathon, It’s tiring, but I’m not going to complete [the whole 32-hours of Dance Marathon]. I’m only here for a few hours at a time. I’m here on Saturday evening and on Sunday early morning.”

The University’s Dance Marathon which benefits Children’s Miracle Network, is held to raise money for kids with different illnesses, and moralers strongly contribute to this cause. “I raised $200,” moraler Shannon Mickens, middle childhood education major, said. “Not too bad, it’s enough.”

“I like it [Dance Marathon] a lot, I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s my first time here. I got here around 10 a.m. I’ll probably stay until midnight or so and come back in the [Sunday] morning.”

Cheryl Smith, marketing major, who raised around $300 for the event said that she liked it a lot. “I help my friends [here] and everything. That is the hardest thing I have to do.” But the most difficult job is that of moraler captains, who stay for the whole 32-hour period.

Brett Saums, who is a sports management major enjoyed the atmosphere of Dance Marathon.

“The experience so far has been an amazing,” he said. “Just to see the kids out here, running around. It’s an awesome experience.”

“To see this many BG students get together for one cause, to see it from the stage, it’s unbelievable,” he added. “I’ll be staying up right with the dancers and keep them going. It’s definitely worth it. I raised approximately $200 for Dance Marathon this year.” Many captains are selected from those who have already been moralers.

“I danced a couple years back and tried to be a moralers captain,” senior and morale captain Jordan Ohler, history major, said. “I know how hard it is being a dancer. I want to help them out, the best I could, to keep them going, to raise all this money for the kids.” Ohler himself raised $150.

Apart from fundraising, captains are engaged in many other activities during Dance Marathon.

“There are all kinds of programming and stuff, which you have to do on time,” Ohler said. “You have to have meals with your moralers. You have to put your female team together. And on the top of it, you have to keep everybody going all the time. There are dancers. Dancers could be tired. I’m not allowed to be tired. I have to be crazy all the time.”