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March 28, 2024

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Spring Housing Guide

Senior volunteer embraces DM

To Rebecca Ricciardi, truly, Dance Marathon is not about the money raised, the camaraderie created between students and their organizations or the students’ memories.

These are the bonus features.

The factor that has inspired Ricciardi to volunteer for the past four years is simply because “It’s for the kids”.

“When the kids are happy and enjoying themselves they can forget about the problems they are going through,” Ricciardi said.

Although the kids benefit from the money, Ricciardi said, the experience is what is lasting in their minds.

“The kids love that college students care about them and want to hang out with them,” Ricciardi said.

Over the past four years Ricciardi has contributed quite a bit of time to Dance Marathon, a personal tradition she began freshman year when her resident adviser asked for help.

During her freshman year Ricciardi helped her RA serve food to dancers and did clean-up work as well. The following year Ricciardi was the Dancer Group Representative for Kohl Hall, the next a member of the finance core committee and finally, her senior year, she was chosen for the finance chair position on the steering committee, the core group of organizers for the marathon.

“The first year I didn’t really know what Dance Marathon was, but each year I was able to get more involved through new positions,” Ricciardi said.

As a finance major Ricciardi was well qualified to be the finance chair. Her job includes being responsible for counting and budgeting the money raised.

“If it has to do with money I do it,” Ricciardi said.

In her four years she has seen more change than the total amount of money raised.

“Each year I have seen us try to do more events that tap into other parts of the community,” Ricciardi said. “This year we successfully brought in high school students.”

The goal this year, was focused more on creating a good experience for the children and not as much on raising more money than past years, Ricciardi said.

“The most important part of the marathon is the kids,” Ricciardi said. “They keep us focused and they give us the endurance to go on.”

As dedicated as Ricciardi has been with Dance Marathon, other members of her family have shown offered their time to the charity as well. Her sister Sara, who graduated in May 2003 participated in the marathon. And, Becky will not be the last Ricciardi, her sister Kate, a freshman, began volunteering this year.

“[Becky’s involvement] has made me want to be a part of Dance Marathon because I see what she puts forth for the kids,” Kate Ricciardi said. “It is something I want to invest my time in.”

Her parents, who have been to four Dance Marathons and plan to go to three more (until Kate graduates) have become familiar with the event to say the least, father, Paul Ricciardi even built a table and did some other handy work this year.

Dance Marathon has really become quite a Ricciardi event, but to Paul and Marie it is as much about supporting their children as the miracle children.

“We like helping Becky succeed,” Paul Ricciardi said. “The nice thing about Becky is she asked us to help, she thinks we are good enough parents that she wants us to be involved.”

With plans to graduate in May this is Ricciardi’s last year as an undergraduate at the University. But, she said it will not be her last year with Dance Marathon.

There are alumni positions like alumni relations chair that Ricciardi said she will be looking into. She also plans to participate in other philanthropies after she graduates. But, she will always cherish her marathon memories.

She feels the Children’s Miracle Network is a great charity for the University to support. “We were there to make the children’s lives better,” Ricciardi said. “What could be better than that?”

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