Riley Week 2021 Recap!

By: Sarah Pfeiffer

IUDM extends a huge thank you to everybody who participated in this year’s successful first fully virtual Riley Week. Throughout the week the IUDM social media accounts posted interesting facts about what money raised for IUDM goes towards, as well as educational videos about the hospital’s past. Interactive Instagram stories provided insight into unknown facts about all the meaningful work Riley Hospital does every day, as well as innovative tips from peers to assist in everybody’s fundraising experience. Tuesday also yielded the largest Dine and Donate at Five Guys that IUDM has ever seen!

As committee meetings across zoom participated in creative fundraising push challenges, our favorite game from grade school, Kahoot, allowed committee members to see how much they knew about Riley Hospital with informative stories and facts about its history. Some of the most impressive facts to inspire the next 30 years of IUDM include:

Riley treats 300,000 patients annually.

Riley is the only pediatric hospital in Indiana.

Riley’s doctors funded and opened a mother and baby hospital in Kenya.

19064 surgeries were completed in 2019 at Riley Hospital.

IUDM has fully funded the Indiana University Dance Marathon Infectious Disease Research Endowment, Ryan White Infectious Disease Endowment and the Ryan White Chair in Pediatric Infectious Disease Endowment.

IUDM has raised over $43 million for Riley Hospital since it was founded in 1990.

An overwhelming 650 people attended the insightful “Doc Talk” on zoom with the incredible Dr. Chandy John hosted by our wonderful Director of Hospital Relations, Jon Walts, to learn about the amazing things going on at the Riley Hospital for Children, learning specifically where donated money goes towards and the tangible results it brings was the perfect mid-Spring Fundraising Challenge inspiration.

Over 250 butterflies were hung on the IUDM office wall, representing dancers who raised $25 during Riley Week. The act of hanging a butterfly on the wall to celebrate a donation directly correlates with the celebration Riley children feel as they get to hang a butterfly on the wall of Riley Hospital when they are discharged. The overwhelming number of butterflies was a beautifully inspiring image to close such a rewarding week of education. This Riley Week rocketed off with full momentum while inspiring and educating all members why we are for the kids now, tomorrow, and forever.