Zach Berg

zberg@press-citizen.com

With yells of joys and loud dance music, organizers of the 23rd annual University of Iowa Dance Marathon revealed another record-breaking dollar amount raised for the UI Children's Hospital: $2.5 million.

Surrounding the celebrating 2,300 dancers in the packed main lobby of the Iowa Memorial Union were friends and family from across the country who showed equal amounts of joy when the final number was revealed Saturday night: $2,572,130.23, breaking last year's record of $2,424,031.22.

Among those in the crowd were two mothers with different backgrounds but bound by one thing: cancer. Terri Heath of Joy, Ill., was there to support her daughter, Kristin, who was dancing in the marathon for the third year. Terri Heath and her family had been coming to the marathon for 18 years, ever since her daughter, Alexandria, died after her battle with neuroblastoma.

Kim Talarczyk of St. Charles, Ill., was there to support in any way she could. She was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, and she told her daughter, Emily, about her cancer while Emily danced in the marathon two years ago. Though her daughter has already graduated from UI, and with her cancer behind her thanks to UI Hospitals and Clinics, she came to the marathon for the first time this year as a volunteer.

"This place is an amazing place. The entire medical community and all these college students are just incredible beyond words," Talarczyk said.

The 23rd annual event featured over 2,300 dancers who, from 7 p.m. Friday until 7 p.m. Saturday, gave up sleep, caffeine and the luxury of sitting down for 24 hours straight as they danced through the night.

Each participant, according to a Dance Marathon news release, raised at least $500 to be a part of the marathon. All money raised goes to support and care for pediatric cancer patients at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.

"This event is saving lives, it's saving families," Heath said. Back in 1999, when Alexandria was battling cancer, Heath remembered Dance Marathon members from the UI Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority spending countless hours with her family as they spent 18 months in the children's hospital. The sorority members entertained Heath's children, gave them food and did countless other niceties over their stay in Iowa City.

"This event pulls people together and it makes their heart and souls stay together. People shatter when they're devastated by cancer, and the Dance Marathon helps them be whole," Heath said.

Over the years, the UI Dance Marathon has raised more than $20 million to help families of children battling cancer at the children's hospital. Heath noted that the Dance Marathon even paid for Alexandria's funeral in 2000.

Students at Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa also organize Dance Marathons that benefit UI Children’s Hospital. ISU's event last month raised over $293,000, organizers said, and UNI’s event is scheduled for March. Some private colleges also hold similar events across Iowa.

For Heath, an 18-year veteran of the UI marathon, the event is ingrained in her life. Not only has her daughter danced three times, her younger daughters, Halle and Morgan, have already become morale captains-in-training, which means Heath women will help lead the marathon for years to come.

Talarczyk said she will be back to volunteer. This year she volunteered in the bag-check room. Next year, she wants to volunteer and help families who are at the children's hospital. She wants to be there bed-side like so many Dance Marathon volunteers have in the decades before her.

“I’m very impressed by everyone here, but especially the college kids. They do this not because it looks good on their resume, they’re here because they are invested," Talarczyk said. "It makes me want to be more invested too."

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com, or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.