The Ball State University Dance Marathon, which has been a campus-wide student organization since 2008, revealed its new fundraising goal on Sept. 20. The goal this year is to raise $765,000, compared to last year’s goal of $550,000. BSUDM ended up raising $610,086.23 last year.
Matt Hood, BSUDM director of marketing and communications, said he fully expects Dance Marathon to surpass its goal for this year just as it did last year.
“We always go in with the intention to spread the goal and eventually surpass it," Hood said. "What makes [Dance Marathon] so unique is that we work year-round; 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s what separates us from a lot of other organizations that do fundraisers like this.”
Dancers spend twelve hours dancing, watching concerts and performances, playing games and hearing families from Riley Hospital for Children tell their stories, according to the BSUDM Facebook page. All money raised is donated directly to Riley, specifically to the Magic Castle Cart, which goes to every room in Riley to give children gifts during their stay at Riley.
Beth Endsley, a senior communications studies major, is excited about being a part of this year's Dance Marathon.
“My favorite part about our dance marathon in particular is how connected we stay with the families, whether you’re on a committee or [you’re] a dancer or you’re returning for the marathon, you’re always seeing a family you might recognize … It’s a really connected community,” she said.
The Ball State Dance Marathon will take place on Feb. 25, 2017 and donations to the event can be submitted at www.bsudm.org.
The Daily News welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.