Dance Marathon Season Reaches the Halfway Point!
Dance Marathon is a nationwide, student-led, peer-to-peer fundraising program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Across eastern Iowa, we have 15 collegiate program who are actively involved and have a local Dance Marathon program, all of which support the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Through Dance Marathon, a student leadership team will work together to plan a “Main Event” in the spring, and throughout the year will engage in recruitment efforts, fundraising activations, family events, and more. The year culminates in the Main Event where everyone comes together for a day of celebration and fun, which can last anywhere from 4 to 24 hours in length. Although the average event length is around 10 hours here in Iowa, some programs around the country go as long as 24 or more hours (with the University of Iowa being our sole 24-hour event here locally).
Each Spring, Dance Marathon season officially begins with the University of Iowa Dance Marathon (UIDM) on the first weekend of February. Throughout the spring season until late April, colleges and universities across eastern Iowa host their annual Dance Marathon Main Events. On this day, all of the students come together, alongside their miracle families they support locally, and give them a full day of fun, engagement, activities, and a community of support. It’s also their last opportunity to fundraise for the year, and the event ends with a “Big Reveal” to show how much they raised for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital this year.
We’ve officially reached the halfway point for the 2024 Dance Marathon season, and wanted to provide an update and a special thank you to all of our programs who have wrapped up their Main Events this year! Special shoutout to the following schools for their incredible fundraising efforts:
- University of Iowa Dance Marathon (UIDM): $1,454,929.30
- University of Northern Iowa (UNIDM): $128,524.13
- Iowa State University (ISUDM): $125,024.27
- Kirkwood Community College (KCCDM): $28,124.14
- Drake University (DUDM): $15,602.71
- Grand View University (GVUDM): $14,001.10
- Coe College (CRDM): $10,592.03
We still have another exciting half of the season left to go, which will pick back up on Saturday, April 6th with Wartburg College and Simpson College, followed by five more collegiate programs to wrap up the season. Stay tuned in May for our end-of-year wrap-up to see how the rest of the season went.
To all the students who have helped make this year a success so far: THANK YOU. We truly could not do this without you, and appreciate every ounce of effort, second of time, and dollar you raise. The impact you’ve made is enormous, and we’re so grateful you chose these kiddos, families, and our hospital to support.
Kids Can’t Wait!
UISFCH Team