Dance Marathon seeks expansion
April 23, 2015
As the semester draws to a close, Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council (IFC) Philanthropy and Community Service VPs are beginning to plan the University’s second annual Dance Marathon.
“This year, we’re planning much earlier, giving us more time to recruit within the community, raise donations, partner with sponsors, and program the event,” IFC Philanthropy and Community Service Chair Alex Altman ’16 said.
At the mention of the University’s Dance Marathon, students and faculty alike are quick to bring up neighboring Penn State’s dance marathon, THON.
“It’s hard to talk about Dance Marathon without talking about THON. Penn State has a significantly larger student population than us, but that’s not how they raise over $10 million annually. Their event is rooted in tradition and is a huge source of pride for the school, which ends up resulting in more donations, more aggressive fundraising, and higher participation,” Altman said.
“I hope that the next Dance Marathon sees more active student participation. I felt like for all the students there, it was hard to find someone that was actually dancing. For such a great cause, I would just hope that more students choose to participate next year,” Stephanie Pino ’16 said, reflecting on the first Dance Marathon.
Last year, the Dance Marathon, planned only a month in advance, raised over $14,o00 for the Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and brought a crowd of more than 600 students. With advanced planning and refined ideas based on last year’s dance marathon, Altman said that the goal is to raise $30,000 through next semester’s dance marathon.
“We hope our committee is diverse in regards to campus involvement and backgrounds, excited about the event, and passionate about really making an impact on lives of the children treated at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and their families,” Altman said.
In an attempt to involve as many students as possible in the planning process, the Dance Marathon Committee has just released its 2015 application to the entire student body.
