Children’s Miracle Network partnered with campus Greek life organizations for a dance marathon Sunday. Dance Marathon brings money and awareness to pediatric cancer, getting members of Greek life to raise money while doing the Cupid Shuffle. 

The Miracle Network Dance Marathon began at Indiana University, where Ryan White, who died in 1990 from HIV/AIDS from a contaminated blood transfusion, was an incoming student. A friend of White’s started the Indiana University Dance Marathon in 1991, inspiring similar dance marathons across the country. This year was the 11th annual Dance Marathon at NC State.

The event was modeled as a party for children and their families. Sydney Johnson, a third-year studying nutrition science and president of Dance Marathon, said the event opened with a “circle of hope” to honor those fighting against pediatric cancer.

“We have our opening ceremony where we do a circle of hope, and it’s basically where we all put a hospital band on our wrist and we write who we’re dancing for,” Johnson said. “I had a childhood friend that was at Duke, so I always put her name down, but you can put your miracle kid that you’re assigned to, and then at the end of the day, we cut them off to signify people winning their fight against pediatric illness.” 

The event featured obstacle courses, performances from dance teams and speeches, along with visits from affected children and their families.

“We fundraise all year, and then the day of, the miracle kids and families that have the pediatric illness, they come, and it’s a big party for them, and we fundraise all day,” Johnson said. “And then we have our grand total for the amount that we’ve raised all year, and then all that money goes straight to Duke because we are a nonprofit.” 

Emily Mitch Ward, director of Partnerships and Cause Marketing for Duke Children’s Hospital, said working with a localized organization helps concentrate the money raised through Dance Marathon within the community. She works with corporate partners like Costco, Walmart, Ace Hardware and Dairy Queen, as well as signature student programs like Dance Marathon.

“The money goes directly to the children’s hospital,” Ward said. “So that’s the nice part about working with a more localized organization with a national tie, is that the money doesn’t go to some headquarters somewhere and disperse however. … We use it for our areas of greatest need.”

Dance Marathon, in addition to raising money for Duke Children’s Hospital, also works to connect Greek life’s network, having them reach out to the community through a peer-to-peer donation program.

“Students sign up to participate and they get their own fundraising page,” Ward said. “And then they go out and ask their network, whether that be friends, family, businesses, things like that, to donate to them. And then that culminates in this main event at the end of the fundraising year.”

The total raised by NC State’s Dance Marathon this year was $33,126.44, all of which will be given to Duke Hospitals to treat pediatric illnesses. In the last 10 years, the event has raised a total of $646,851.08. 

“My favorite part is getting to see people fall in love with this philanthropy,” Johnson said. “They come the day of expecting to do a few dances and go home, but I think this day has as much impact on the people that we’re raising the money as it does that we’re raising the money for.”