Adding themselves to a list of over 40 businesses making contributions to Dance Marathon, Pisanello’s Pizza is implementing a promotional deal that’s “for the kids.”

“We’re really happy to support Dance Marathon especially since they [students] put so much into it,” Jerry Liss, owner of Pisanello’s Pizza, said. “It’s not important that we sell a lot of pizzas; the important thing is that you’re participating for worthy causes.”

Every Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. Pisanello’s donates 10 percent of every order when customers mention the Dance Marathon cause.

The University’s Dance Marathon, in its eighth year, is the largest student-run philanthropy in Ohio and the third largest dance marathon nationwide.

Such a reputation can’t hurt in the search for donations.

“Our past success helps us,” Tracy Lahote, Dance Marathon marketing chair, said. “We stress that donations to charitable causes can build goodwill between a company and the community it’s in.”

Benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network, donations made to Dance Marathon help local children and their families which is important to many donors.

“A lot of places want the money to stay local,” Sarah Burns, Dance Marathon special promotions chair, said. “The money that we raise stays in Northwest Ohio.”

However, the search for large contributors hasn’t been easy.

“Major companies have committees that their job is to decide on donations and where to send them,” Lahote said. “It’s tough convincing them that our cause is the most worthwhile.”

According to Burns, convincing local businesses, including Pisanello’s, hasn’t been a problem.

“We’ve definitely had some trouble with some places, but the local businesses are pretty easy to work with,” Burns said. “Jerry at Pisanello’s has been great.”

In fact, Pisanello’s has been donating to Dance Marathon before the first fundraisers began.

“When they first started doing things in the fall, we donated pizzas so they could sell them to raise money,” Liss said. “It’s a continuous donation for us.”

Pisanello’s Pizza is known around campus for being willing to donate to many organizations, thanks to an owner’s life philosophy.

“I sponsor a lot of things simply for the fact that it’s well worthwhile,” Liss said. “It’s one of those situations that comes back to my belief system that ‘if you have things, share them.'”

Numerous other local businesses are running similar promotions for the benefit of Dance Marathon this year.

Longtime Dance Marathon supporter Burger King donates 20 percent of all dollars earned on Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. while Serenity Salon is donating a percentage of its profits made from services up until Spring Break.

According to Lahote, organizers expect Pepsi to once again be their largest donor and are working on a possible promotion with the company.

However no matter how much a business may give, it’s a worthwhile investment, according to Liss.

“You always get back more than you give,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re giving food, money or your time. They’re all important.”