Tomorrow night Panhellenic women will join hundreds of KU students at the campus rec center for twelve whole hours of dancing fun, in hopes of raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. The event includes activities, food, dancing and a letter writing campaign to solicit more donations. Also, some very special guests will join the more than 400 students signed up for this event. Children and their families who have benefited from Children’s Miracle Network will be dancing alongside the students as a reminder of what this organization can accomplish. The twelve hour marathon is designed to do just that. Students stand for 12 hours in honor of those that can’t and in the hopes that these children will some day be able to stand and even dance along with them.
For the past few months Panhellenic women have been working with other KU students to make this year’s Dance Marathon a success. Dance Marathon is a national philanthropy dedicated to raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. The organization has a presence on more than 100 university campuses nationwide and came to KU in 2007. Since then, the organization has raised more than $50,000 for Children’s Miracle Network and this year they hope to raise an additional $60,000.
Ashley Vega, a junior Kappa Delta has been involved with KU Dance Marathon since 2008. She describes her experience with the organization and what it truly means to serve others.
“Freshmen year I came to KU without knowing about the student organizations on campus or how to get involved. However, through being in a sorority and going to chapter meetings I heard about different opportunities on campus. During one particular chapter meeting my first semester I heard about a great new organization coming to KU called Dance Marathon. I wasn’t exactly sure what Dance Marathon was all about, but I knew that it benefited Children’s Miracle Network and that was something that was particularly close to me.
Children’s Miracle Network is an organization close to my heart because my brother was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. He was in and out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for a while during the beginning stages. Children’s Miracle Network helped give my brother and hundreds of other children the treatment and care they truly deserved and required. Even though Children’s Mercy recently became unaffiliated with Children’s Miracle Network, I still remain a strong supporter of the organization and all the amazing things they have done and will continue to do.
Since I felt so connected to this charity I decided to take the opportunity to get involved with this organization. I first got involved with KUDM by being on the IT & Media committee. It wasn’t until the night of the actual marathon that I realized KUDM was the organization I wanted to help define my college experience. Being able to interact with the families that we help raise money for is my favorite part of the organization and why I wanted to become more involved. From there my involvement in the organization skyrocketed and I have been on the Steering Committee ever since. The organization itself has made great strides in participation and fundraising since it first started out. KUDM has not only given me the opportunity to work with some of KU’s finest students and staff, but it helped give me the confidence to become involved in other organizations on campus. Being a part of this group let me see that our work and donations really made a difference in the community and the lives of so many people. That feeling makes it worthwhile to become involved and devote so much of your time to a cause.”
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