Dance Marathon is making its 27th appearance on BGSU’s campus in the Perry Field House on April 3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The funds raised are given to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Toledo, where they are dispersed to local families in need.

Last year’s marathon raised $46,456.22 for the kids, while this year’s goal is $50,000 to $55,000. Hallie Cunningham, Dance Marathon’s student director, said every dollar counts, no matter if the goal is reached or not.

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Cunningham is excited to hold the event in person again since it was canceled in 2020 due to the uncertain circumstances of COVID-19. She has been participating for four years, this being her fourth and final.

“The biggest thing is really knowing that all of the funds we raise are going to be local kids and families. At our first event, I met one of our miracle kids, LaKenya, and I just got really close with her and her family, and we spent the whole event together,” Cunningham said. “Just knowing that everything I was doing and directly for her was a lot to take in.”

Since COVID-19 happened, Dance Marathon’s attendance has decreased, “I think my first year we had almost 600 (people) and then, last year, we had about 125 and this year, we’ve reached over 300, which was our original goal,” Cunningham said.

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There are 28 teams signed up for Dance Marathon, but there is still time to participate.

“A lot of people will sign up this week. You can sign up as an individual as well. But when you’re there, people will sign up with their friends and it’s totally fine,” Cunningham said.

In preparation for the marathon, Cunningham and her executive team worked hard to find as much participation as possible.

“We do fundraising push weeks and membership registration weeks. We had some pre-spring break and right after spring break as well,” Cunningham said. “We were selling donuts in the Oval, we had a fundraising event downtown where we sold hot dogs on St. Patty’s Day, we had a “Just Dance” event. We’re always present in the Oval or presenting to different student organizations, and use the Campus Updates.”

Cunningham said she wouldn’t be able to put on this event without the help of her executive team and others who helped.

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“This is the best group of leaders I’ve worked with through my past four years at BGSU, and I’m really grateful to go out with a bang,” Cunningham said.

Registration and donation links can be found here.