During the next two months, members of the MSU Dance Marathon organization hope to have participants on the dance floor to raise funding for the MSU’s Children’s Health Initiative. MSU Dance Marathon 2011, slated for April 9, will be the third in the university’s history. The event aims to raise money for the immediate health care needs of disabled children and their families, said Addi Manley, a biomedical laboratory operations senior and the group’s president.
“I found a really worthy cause, so that just made me throw myself into it,” she said. The marathon requires participants to remain on their feet for 12 consecutive hours, symbolizing the struggle many of the children and families with disabilities deal with on a daily basis, Manley said.
The funds raised go toward simple items, such as blankets and gas cards for families to get their children to doctor’s appointments, she said.
“We offer a lot of games and prizes throughout the event to keep you busy,” Manley said. “You’re not expected to dance the whole time.”
Participants’ $10 registration will be used to provide food for all 12 hours, in addition to a T-shirt to commemorate the event.
The biggest obstacle members of the Dance Marathon committee are trying to overcome is a lack of awareness.
“Last year (the Dance Marathon) was so awesome,” said Kara Loush, a prenursing sophomore. “(But) there weren’t a ton of people and so we’re really pushing for a lot of people to get involved this year.”
Kinesiology sophomore Kelsey Miller said her main focus is trying to help the program make significant strides in its third year at MSU.
“I want to accomplish … just getting the event off the ground,” Miller said. “We’re struggling because not a lot of people know about it yet even with how well known it is at other schools.”
The committee has been getting the word out in a variety of ways. Miller said they’ve gone through the dorms passing out flyers on multiple occasions and notified people through Facebook.
Throwing the marathon is no easy feat, costing about $5,000, all of which must be raised by the committee. It meets at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in Wells Hall to brainstorm ways to raise money.
The ideas have been as simple as a bake sale, and as creative as working the grill at bd’s Mongolian Grill, 2080 W. Grand River Ave., in Okemos, and collecting tips.
For Manley, it has come a long way since she arrived as a freshman and realized MSU was the only Big Ten school that didn’t have a dance marathon.
“We’re a Big Ten school, we ought to be able to compete with the (others),” she said. “While we’re in this area, I think we should do more than just visit. Trying to make an impact is really important.”