By Sam Lane
While UI Dance Marathon officials say they’re certainly proud of the event’s success and national recognition, most don’t view it as any sort of competition.
“[The recognition] is not very important,” said Jenny Carroll, UI Dance Marathon’s Public Relations and Marketing Director. “There are so many out there. We’re all doing great things.”
As the UI hurdles towards its 16th Dance Marathon, it has raised over $7.5 million for cancer treatment and research at the UI Children’s Hospital, a number that is among the upper echelon of student fundraisers in the nation.
And Carroll, a senior, said UI Dance Marathon officials attend other school’s events to learn from their successes.
“We try to go to other Dance Marathons to give support and learn from them,” Carroll said.
In November, the UI’s executive directors attended Indiana University’s Dance Marathon. At Indiana, auxiliary events include a formal gala, a concert, and a 5K race.
Madolyn Lubbers, Indiana’s event’s Marketing Director, said every aspect is focused on the kids.
“It means so much to all of us,” Lubbers said of the event, which raised $1.5 million and attracted roughly 850 dancers last year. “It’s all for the kids. We’re saving lives and creating hope.”
After attending Indiana’s Dance Marathon, UI officials made a trip to Ames two weeks ago for Iowa State University’s event, one that also donates their funds to the UI Children’s Hospital. This year, more than 600 ISU dancers raised over $180,000.
“The money we raise goes such a long way to fund programs at the hospital and equipment at the hospital,” said Trent Jacobson, an executive co-director of Iowa State’s Dance Marathon. “Iowa State is proud to be a part of that.”
The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor also organizes a yearly Dance Marathon. Michigan and the UI are two of the few universities that don’t run their Dance Marathon through the college’s Greek system.
Officials say the Michigan Dance Marathon prides itself on being a “year-long” organization, one that begins with a pumpkin carving in the fall and continues through their actual event in late-March.
“[The UI and Michigan] are very similar,” said Tyler Hauck, the external director for Michigan’s Dance Marathon. “They have different causes, but both have the spirit of the students working towards something bigger than themselves.”
While UI’s Dance Marathon has grown financially each year, they still trail Penn State University’s “THON,” which has raised $61 million since its inception in 1973. Penn State has enlisted over 700 dancers and 15,000 total volunteers each year.
“It means the world to everyone,” said Julie Wolf, Public Relations Captain for THON. “There’s a unifying factor. It’s not the money. We’re all together at least for this one weekend.”
Carroll echoed that sentiment.
“From the tiniest Dance Marathon to Penn State’s ‘THON,’ I think they all make a big difference,” she said.
