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By: Ayaan Abbasi
Hundreds of committee members, dancers, and executive council members alike gathered together at 8 PM on Friday, November 15th, for the beginning of the 34th annual IU Dance Marathon. For 36 hours, those in attendance would participate in fundraising as much as possible for the families and patients at Riley Hospital for Children.
As the event kicked off at the Tennis Center, participants watched as they were introduced to the Executive Council, led by President Evi Underhill, and were told what they were in for over the course of the 36-hour event.
Throughout the marathon, attendees were able to hear from Riley families who were impacted by the hospital. They told their story and allowed those in the audience to see where their fundraising was going and the effect that donations had on the lives of the patients they served.
In addition to these Riley stories, dancers were taught the annual line dance led by the Morale committee and played games such as a basketball tournament put on by the Entertainment committee. They were also treated to performances such as those by country singer Hank Ruff and Bloomington-based Opal.
Of course, the event was not without its fundraising pushes including a Power Hour that raised $90,645.87. It was also revealed how much the 23 high school dance marathons across Indiana had raised, showing a total of $944,787.71 raised over this year.
Awards were also given out to members of our incredible IUDM community including Joe Glennon receiving the David Rubinstein Faculty Appreciation Award, Brooklyn MacLagan as the Ryan White Hope Award Recipient, and Decklan Barnabas receiving the Ashley Louise Crouse Award. We are so grateful for all of your dedication to IUDM!
As the sun rose on Sunday, November 17th, everyone gathered for the final time that weekend to reveal how much money they had raised over the last year. White cards displaying the amount slowly rose up as those at the Tennis Center waited in anticipation.
Those boards showed $3,058,042.23 raised, the culmination of a year of fundraising and community-building that will provide hope for those at Riley Hospital for Children.