Caption – From right to left: UCI Care-a-thon 2015 director Arlene Ho, SAA members Melody Folae, Monica Santosos, and Michelle Campos, SAA Vice President of Communications Kimberly Castellanos, SAA members Marta Ramos and Yola Lin, and SAA President Monica Tran. To end UCI Care-a-thon, host J.R. Lagade welcomed these members on stage towards midnight to announce the final fundraising total. (Photo courtesy of Kenny Pham)
On Thursday February 26th, UCI Student Alumni Association (SAA) held its seventh annual UCI Care-a-thon, a six hour dance marathon that rallies the UCI and Irvine community to fundraise money for the premature babies at UCI Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). UCI Care-a-thon was held Thursday night, from 6pm until midnight, at the Pacific Ballroom in the Student Center. Over five hundred people attended the event, with each attendee fundraising $25 minimum in order to participate. This year’s Care-a-thon raised $26,312, compared to last year’s $20,030. Every year,100 percent of all proceeds raised is donated towards the UCI Medical Center’s NICU, which provides specialized care for high-risk and critically ill premature babies.
This year’s Care-a-thon was hosted by J.R. Lagade, a 5th year civil engineering major who hosted last year’s Care-a-thon as well as other events like Ken-Ya Sing. The DJ was 4th year public health sciences major Nathan Magtoto, who ran for Homecoming King recently and gave away Homecoming t-shirts to students in exchange for donations to Care-a-thon. Magtoto played club hits and remixes of songs like “Outside” by Ellie Goulding and “Catch My Breath” by Kelly Clarkson to keep guests pumped and on the dance floor all night long. SAA members also dressed up in a baby suit, pink onesie, or blue onesie were on the dance floor throughout the night to motivate guests to dance and stay on their feet for six hours in solidarity with the babies, whose first six hours of life are the most critical.
Live entertainment was provided all night by UCI dance teams like CADC (Chinese Association Dance Crew), MCIA (Modern Completely Insane Anteaters), INSA Dance, Project Doscero, and more. Last year, SAA performed flashmob performances on campus to Jessie J’s “Domino” to promote Care-a-thon awareness and members even performed a flashmob tutorial during Care-a-thon. In keeping with that tradition, SAA members performed a flashmob to this year’s song “Heroes (we could be)” by Tove Lo at the UCI Homecoming Festival while Care-a-thon producer Dennis Dang gave participants a flashmob tutorial during Care-a-thon.
Caption – In both years that Dang has worked with the Care-a-thon flashmob choreography, he always makes sure that the choreography is both fun and easy to learn for everyone, even if you have no prior dancing experience. (Photo courtesy of Kenny Pham)
“Personally, I think hosting Care-a-thon never gets easier, just only more satisfying, because the [SAA] team is always trying to elevate the event every year. It’s also quite easy to forget who we’re all doing this for: the NICU babies. And not only that, Care-a-thon instills a spirit of philanthropy into the community, a trait that is so often undervalued. Everyone needs to learn how to give,” Dang says.
Caption – INSA Dance is one of the many talented UCI dance crews to support UCI Care-a-thon once more by performing. Dance crews were also encouraged to donate this year in the efforts that this year’s Care-a-thon beats last year’s Care-a-thon’s fundraising total. (Photo courtesy of Kenny Pham)
In addition to the dance teams’ performances, doctors from the NICU spoke to participants to thank everyone for their fundraising efforts. Participants at this year’s Care-a-thon included current students, alumni, on-campus clubs and organizations, press, and even former NICU residents. Former NICU residents Grant and Alexa Agamalian attended their third Care-a-thon this year with their mother Dana Agamalian. The twins, who are both in the 6th grade, and their mother have spoken to SAA about the event and how they benefitted from the NICU. Agamalian stressed that her children were less than two pounds when they were born, were about as big as their father’s hand when born, and had to stay in the NICU for three months after their birth.The NICU, to Agamalian, saved their children’s lives so Care-a-thon is a cause she holds close to her heart.
Other than dancing, participants were encouraged to stay on their feet through the vendors provided at the event. Care-a-thon provided free food and drinks such as sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, KIND Plus granola bars, water, and Rockstar drinks. There were also two caricature artists, a balloon artist (Mr. Fun), a photo booth (Shake that Boothy), a face painting booth, a card station for participants to make “get well” cards for NICU residents, an SAA involvement booth for participants to donate to spin the wheel and win goodies like pens or decals etc, and a raffle booth for participants to donate for a chance to win special prizes. Raffle baskets included special prizes like a 5-lap driving experience in a Ferrari or Lamborghini from Exotic Racing, Starbucks drinks vouchers, Irvine Lanes vouchers, caramel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Tsum Tsum plushies (Mickey Mouse and Pooh) and more.
UCI Medical Center’s NICU is one of the two Level III NICU’s – units that provide care for premature babies with critical illnesses, born severely underweight, need life support, surgery, etc – in Orange County. These units are designed and equipped to provide comprehensive care for newborns that are extremely sick, premature or need surgical intervention. As well, the NICU here is the only program in Orange County to care for high risk pregnancies and newborns, to offer specialized care in one location for both high risk expectant mothers and their babies, and provide helicopter transport for newborns. UCI Medical Center’s NICU has used money fundraised from Care-a-thon in the past to purchase a portable brain cooling unit, which cools babies’ brains temperature by a couple degrees and significantly increases their chances of survival during transport. It is because such fundraising efforts goes towards benefitting premature babies that Care-a-thon director Arlene Ho is so passionate about Care-a-thon and its cause year after year.
“We encourage UCI students to not just stand for the cause, but dance for the cause! As director of UCI Care-a-thon 2015, I hope that this event inspires people to get in touch with their philanthropic side and continue to give back whenever they can. The babies in the NICU are able to get the best care they can because of the contributions of my fellow students, and that amazes me to no end,” Ho says.
*Photos courtesy of Kenny Pham Photography. Please visit his website here: http://kennypham.com/.