Jensen Kervern

Staff Writer

Dance Marathon at Florida State University has raised $2,210,165.21 for the Children’s Miracle Network after the 40-hour marathon that began Friday, March 1, and ended on Sunday, March 3.

“You're able to see the impact of the things that you do and feel like you’re doing it for a reason,” said Alessa Lacarta, Dance Marathon's PR coordinator. “Being able to see those numbers, being able to see those Miracle Children and having their families thank us is so powerful because the organization is completely student run.”

Dance Marathon is a year-long effort that results in a 40-hour event, where more than 1,800 student dancers and countless other volunteers gather at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center to stay awake and dance on their feet after to raise awareness and money for local beneficiaries.

This is the 24th year FSU has hosted a Dance Marathon since the event first started in 1996. FSU was one of the five founding Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathons and has since raised nearly $10 million for Shands Children’s Hospital and the FSU College of Medicine.

This year’s Dance Marathon was dedicated to Marshal Fisher, who was a Miracle Child that lost his battle with osteosarcoma this past year. His mother, Betsy Fisher, helped opened the ceremony Friday night by telling Marshal’s story.

For every $100 raised during the event, a dancer is allowed to hit the spirit gong. Marshal Fisher coined the phrase “HTG” at last year’s Dance Marathon, which stands for “Hit That Gong,” and now it's a popular saying throughout the event.

In 2018 alone, FSU raised a grand total of $2,152,382.19 “For The Kids,” which went beyond the $2 million goal set for the year.

Fifty percent of the money raised from Dance Marathon each year is donated to University of Florida Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, while the rest is donated to Florida State’s College of Medicine’s Pediatric Outreach Programs. A portion of the money is also given to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

The 40-plus hour weekend is split into two shifts, the garnet and the gold respectively, to give everyone the opportunity to participate in the iconic event. Within those shifts, every team is assigned a Miracle Family who have a child that is currently battling an illness and benefiting from Children’s Miracle Network. Every hour on the hour, dancers are asked to kneel, but not sit, and listen to the story of each family and hear how their contributions have directly impacted their lives.

“You are our people,” said the mother of Caden, a Miracle Kid who has been diagnosed with severe hemophilia A, which is a rare genetic blood clotting disorder. “You provided the pencils, the pens the crayons, the markers and everything that kept him occupied. That little bit of normalcy that we get while we are in the hospital is really what keeps most of us from a nervous breakdown.”

In November of 2017, a new drug with remarkable success data hit the market, but had only undergone testing for a few years.

“As parents, what do you do?” said Caden’s mother. “Do you decide that their quality of life is worth it and go with it, or do you let your fear ride you?”

Caden had his first injection one week prior to Dance Marathon 2018 and has been bleed free ever since.

During both shifts, dancers, volunteers and Miracle Families participate in a variety of events to keep energy levels up and spirits high. The Dance Marathon planning team scheduled two bands to perform during the event and had an array of other activities including a silent disco, dog circus, fashion show and rave hour to keep everyone occupied. Every year, Dance Marathon grows exponentially in its number of first-time participants and executive staff.

“Try it, because when you do, you'll love it,” said Sofia Rivero, a second year Dance Marathon participant and first year morale captain. “The most exciting part of being a morale captain is definitely getting to know everyone on morale so much more and learning the line dance. It’s really entertaining, and I do it in my sleep.”

Each year, the marathon brings members of the community together in an effort to raise money for a common cause. Despite the fact that the marathon itself only takes place over one weekend, teams of student directors and dancers spend months fundraising. Local businesses open their doors for “share-it-nights,” where a percentage of each purchase is donated to a specific team’s Dance Marathon account.

“Every time I do it I get more proud of all of you and what you're doing to give back to people in terms of healthcare,” said President John Thrasher during the closing ceremony. “What you're doing is making a difference in the lives of young people. I could not be prouder. The more you give back, the more you are going to recieve. I promise you.”

After a draining, but fulfilling, 40 hours, the dancers are finally allowed to be seated while teams, organizations and individual dancers are awarded for their accomplishments.