Patients from the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center served as judges at HuskyTHON’s annual Miracle Walk fashion show this Saturday while University of Connecticut students strutted down the runway.
Miracle Walk, which took place at the Student Union, served as a fundraiser and morale booster for HuskyTHON, which is an 18-hour dance marathon at UConn.
Every year, UConn students come together to raise money for the hospital in a yearlong fundraising effort leading up to HuskyTHON.
It is one of the top ten dance marathons in the nation, and the number one dance marathon in New England.
Since the beginning of HuskyTHON, students have raised over $1,250,000 for the hospital. Last year over 1,600 dancers participated.
Students were buzzing while taking their seats at Miracle Walk, speculating about team themes and sizing up their competition.
“I’m excited to make kids smile- showing we know how to have a good time,” said brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi and Miracle Walk model Brandon Silverstein.
Greek organizations Delta Gamma and Kappa Sigma won the first fashion show, which began at 11:30 A.M. with a theme of “dynamic duos,” while Alpha Epsilon Phi and Beta Theta Pi took home the win for the second show at 1:30 P.M. with a theme of “changing seasons.”
Profits earned from the $5 entrance fees were split four ways and contributed to the winning teams’ HuskyTHON donation accounts.
A panel of hospital patients judged the models based on “fun, costumes, poses, walks and teamwork,” according to co-director of hospital relations Sam Cummins.
15-year-old patient Dan Kaminske from Marlborough, CT served as one of the judges. This year is his first year at Miracle Walk. “It isn’t like anything I’ve seen before,” said Kaminske.
Proud parents stood at the judging table at the end of the runway behind their smiling children.
“The whole thing is amazing. The most exciting part is how much money the students are able to raise,” raved his mother, Angela Kaminske.
Scott Organek, the program director at Connecticut Children’s Medial Center, arranged getting the patient families to Miracle Walk.
“I am proud to say that I have been at every HuskyTHON since the very beginning and I have loved seeing it grow. My favorite part is seeing the families, and the students are amazing. I like to stand on stage in the middle of HuskyTHON and watch the kids be treated like princes and princesses for the night,” said Organek.
One of his favorite HuskyTHON memories occurred when he saw a young patient arrive with a walker. He later saw the walker standing under a basketball hoop. Looking around, he spotted the boy doing his best to dance and having the time of his life.
These heartwarming stories always get a reaction out of the crowd, but the climax of the event occurred when HuskyTHON co-directors Dan Bolson and Ricky Holtz took the stage after the show.
They revealed the 2014 fundraising goal of $500,000, which will fund the new waiting room at the hospital’s cardiovascular center. Plans are in the works to remodel the entire cardiovascular center, according to Organek.
If the $500,000 is raised, the newly remodeled waiting room will be named the “HuskyTHON Waiting Room.”
This is the first year that funds are being restricted.
The funds usually go to the part of the hospital that needs it the most, but the new aim is to localize the funds in order to motivate the students to donate.
The main message that the representatives want to send is that the hospital is nonprofit so they rely on things like this to do what they do, according to Organek.
Audience members and models alike were vocal about their reactions after the show.
“I liked walking down the runway and seeing the kids’ faces at the end, and I loved having my sisters cheer me on,” said model and Kappa Alpha Theta sister Steph Orts.
While the management team and models played vital roles in the execution of the event, they couldn’t have done so without some behind-the-scenes help.
Student Union Facility Coordinator Pattie Gilligan contributed by overseeing venue preparation for Miracle Walk.
“So often I meet with organizations but I don’t always get to come to the events that I work on. It turned out better than we ever could have imagined,” said Gilligan.
Lauren Hagerty, HuskyTHON Director of Special Events, appeared onstage at the end of the event to say that she and the management team and worked hard to make the event everything it was, and that they hoped to have full participation in the upcoming “dancer week,” in which students can show their HuskyTHON pride and participate in other fundraisers.
One of the reasons why the management team has such high expectations is because they are hoping to get more of the student body involved.
While some say the HuskyTHON events are dominated by sororities and fraternities, a conscious effort is being made to branch out to unaffiliated students, according to HuskyTHON Vice President of Communications Stephanie Luczak.
“It is important to get the word out about getting as many people involved possible. You don’t have to be affiliated with a Greek organization to get involved. We are looking to branch out and we look forward to looking with UConn students,” said Luczak.
She, like most other attendees, noted the patient judges as the highlight of this year’s Miracle walk.
Luczak said, “Miracle Walk was more tailored for the kids because in the end, it’s all for the kids.”