The time has come! All those interested in participating in Dance Marathon have been invited to attend the all-participant meeting on Nov. 12. The meeting will take place at the union ballrooms from 7 to 8:30 PM. They will provide information on the event that is set to take place on the weekend of Mar. 6 to 8. I attended the meeting last year and here are some of the things you might expect. They gave fundraising tips, played videos meant to inspire the audience and even had a contest for money to be put into the winner’s fundraising account! It is recommended that participants attend especially if you need a little inspiration to keep fundraising.
If you’re reading all this information and have no clue what I am talking about then you must not know much about Dance Marathon. That’s okay! I’ll give you the rundown. Dance Marathon is a fundraising event held every year at FSU to raise money for children with pediatric illnesses. Participants pledge to stay awake and stand for twenty hours in honor of the children that cannot. Although this may sound challenging, the event organizers try to make the process fun for the participants. The events throughout the marathon include silent disco, yoga, free food and more. To participate, dancers must raise a minimum of $250. All funds go towards Shand’s Children’s Hospital in Gainesville and FSU’s College of Medicine pediatric outreach program.
Courtesy: Florida State News
Last year over two million dollars were raised throughout the year. Every dollar counts and you will often see people around campus pushing for donations. Ways to help include donating, creating a fundraising page yourself, or participating in the various fundraising events. For example, they will occasionally have share-it nights where part of the money made by a restaurant will be donated to Dance Marathon. If you are looking to help out and eat out, one is coming up this week. On Nov. 13, there will be a share-it at the Tally Mac Shack right on campus from 11 AM to 8 PM. Another fundraising event that is popular among the public is FTKOLOR. It is an event where participants can interact with each other and miracle families (families with children with pediatric illnesses that have been helped with funds from Dance Marathon) while jumping around in glow in the dark paint. The event is said to be exciting and a good kind of messy. You can find information on these events and upcoming ones on the Dance Marathon Facebook here.
Courtesy: FSU Loop
If you are now interested in getting involved with the Dance Marathon cause, here’s how to get started. Create a fundraising page here. Next, you will need to register to dance, which can be found in the same spot. To register to dance you must pay a $25 fee. This registration is currently closed but will reopen in the spring. You can still fundraise in the meantime. You could always just fundraise and not dance, that is also an option. Once you have created your fundraising page, you are all set to start fundraising for a cause!
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