“Destination: Miracles” was announced as the official theme of the 2016 Dance Marathon on Tuesday night in the packed Union Ballroom full of eagerness.

The theme was decided last Wednesday by the steering board, which included Austin Flores, director of Dance Marathon.

The idea of a cross-country road trip is not only fun, but it connects the University with other schools involved in the nationwide Dance Marathon movement, Flores said.

The theme name has importance too.

“‘Destination: Miracles,’ meaning that miracles are all over and we are headed to every single one of them,” Flores said.

Dance Marathon is one of the largest student-run philanthropy organizations in the state of Ohio. Students involved help raise money for Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo. 

The money raised every year goes to help fund the child center at the hospital, which provides patients with things such as toys, games, computers and movies. 

Monies raised also go to family services, the autism center, and the hippotherapy barn.

Sophomore Emily Legan, a morale captain for the 2016 year, feels that Dance Marathon is a way for students on campus to make a big impact on the lives of hundreds of families.

“Dance Marathon is a way that I can change the one world at a time, by working with these families, raising money for all these kids. You are not only changing the kid’s world, but also the parent’s world,” Legan said.

In order to raise money, students can participate in many activities during Dance Marathon. 

There is ZiggyThon, where students stand for 32 hours straight. Some participate in a 7-hour mini-marathon. Some students play games for 12 hours during the Extra Life event. 

Others registered for Bikes for Tikes. While the dancers are standing, the bikers endure a 180-mile bike ride from Cincinnati back to Bowling Green.

Dance Marathon is an incredibly important event for the thousands of patients at Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo that are seen every year, regardless of financial standing. 

Last year, Dance Marathon raised $341,749 for Children’s Hospital. 

While the goal for this year is not public yet, event coordinators are hoping to surpass last year’s numbers.

The money is raised by hundreds of students who are involved with Dance Marathon, however, not everyone has to game, dance, or bike in order to help the cause. 

In addition to being registered to dance, Freshman Cameron Friedman is also a member of a mini-core committee. 

The Dance Marathon table at CampusFest got him involved, Friedman said.

Anyone still interested in dancing or gaming can still register for free online with the code “BGDM21” at http://events.dancemarathon.com.