They donāt call it a marathon for nothing. Starting months in advance, hundreds of hours of planning, meetings and fundraising culminate each February with the annual . The payoff: generous support of .
Since Dance Marathon was established in 2003, the student-led organization has raised more than $1.3 million for Childrenās Hospital.
And when the Growing to New Heights Campaign launched last fall to expand Childrenās Hospital, Dance Marathon students rose to the challenge. In addition to supporting a neonatology fellowship, Dance Marathon made a commitment to the hospitalās expansion, which will help ensure that more infants, children and families receive the specialized services of Childrenās Hospital. and is expected to open in 2017.
āOur group of nearly 100 students spent this past year defining our goals, and we feel even more prepared to support the families of Childrenās Hospital,ā says Abby Horan, president of Dance Marathon and a senior majoring in economics. āOur motto is āFor the Kids,ā and we are committed to embodying that principle every single day.ā
Kathryn Carell Brown, chair of the Growing to New Heights Campaign, says the Dance Marathon commitment has been an inspiring force. āDance Marathon is helping children and families who need it most,ā she says. āWe are so grateful for the hard work and dedication of these students.ā