Dancing the Night Away to Benefit Rady Children's Hospital
Dance Marathon at SDSU raises a record amount for Rady Childrens Hospital.
San Diego State University students danced the night away on Friday, raising a record $365,221.54 for Rady Children’s Hospital at the sixth annual Dance Marathon at SDSU.
Dance Marathon at SDSU – one of the largest student fundraisers on campus in money raised – harnesses the power of student collaboration to benefit the San Diego community.
“We sometimes don’t understand what we’re capable of, and this movement just goes to show that we as college students are very capable of being able to impact the community around us,” said Dance Marathon executive director Mackensie Miller, a part of Dance Marathon at SDSU for three years.
“Everyone’s fighting for the same cause and I think there’s something beautiful about that.”
Dance Marathon at SDSU is one of more than 350 campus fundraising programs nationwide that support local hospitals through the nonprofit Children’s Miracle Network. Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego is the beneficiary of Dance Marathon at SDSU, which is planned and put on by SDSU students. Participants each raised a minimum $123 entrance fee.
The students danced for 15 hours straight, buoyed by hourly testimonials from children who’ve been treated at Rady Children’s Hospital and their families, food for fuel and opportunity drawings for prizes such as tickets to the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals.
“We sacrifice a night of sleep for the kids that go through so much at the hospital,” Miller said.
Funds raised at Dance Marathon at SDSU will be used for research, to restock crafts and supplies in the art therapy rooms, and to support dog and music therapies that help children relax during treatments.
“The money we raise not only helps fund research for their treatment, but it also helps improve the hospital experience for patients,” said Miller. “We get to help them forget about their disease for a second and just let them be kids.”
This year, the campaign’s theme was “FTK365” to highlight that Dance Marathon isn’t just “for the kids” (FTK) on the day of the event but a year-round effort with a goal of $365,000.
“We always say that Dance Marathon is for everyone; it’s not for one particular type of person,” Miller said. “Something that I really love about Dance Marathon is it brings students from all over campus together. A lot of times you’ll meet people you’ve never seen before or from different parts of campus you didn’t even know existed.
“Everyone’s fighting for the same cause,” she said, “and I think there’s something beautiful about that.”
Donations are still being accepted. Contribute through the “donation” button at the Dance Marathon at SDSU website.
