Students from across campus came together for 12 hours one day in March to dance. But their dance was more than just social; it was a fundraiser for local children treated at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.
SpartanTHON is the CWRU student-run branch of Dance Marathon, an organization that fundraises year-round for children’s hospitals. Their efforts culminate in a 12-hour Dance Marathon event each spring.
The event celebrates “Miracle Families,” local families with children who are patients at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital—many speaking at the event. Throughout the day, students and children were side-by-side for several events, including a Mario Kart Scooter Race, Zumba class and dance-offs.
SpartanTHON invited a number of other campus groups to perform, including Spartan Bhangra, IMPROVment and Urban Elementz.
By the end of the event, the students of SpartanTHON had raised more than $102,000 for University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This is the largest amount they’ve raised to date.
The two weeks leading up to the event were a major contributor to their overall success, with the organization bringing in more than $50,000, almost half of which ($24,000) was raised in just one day.
Their motivation for all this hard work is simple: to help provide kids with the chance to have happy and healthy childhoods.
To learn more about SpartanTHON, visit spartanthon.weebly.com.