Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds declared Feb. 2, 2013 as "For The Kids Day," on behalf of Gov. Terry Branstad who was unable to attend the Big Event.
Cutting off her own introduction, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds thanked the cheering crowd of dancers for all they have done.
For the second year in a row, Gov. Terry Branstad was unable to attend the event, with Reynolds speaking on his behalf.
“He would be here, but his father is experiencing health problems—he is with his dad today,” Reynolds told the crowd.
Regardless of whether Branstad could make it, she was there for the cause.
“I’m really happy to be here today on his behalf, read the proclamation, and really support your cause,” she said.
The proclamation declared Feb. 2, 2013 as “For the Kids Day.”
The capitol wishes to extend their thanks to the work that students have done, Reynolds said.
“This is the second time I’ve had the opportunity to be here, to be part of Dance Marathon, and to really encourage and say thank you for all that you do to support the children suffering from cancer—and most importantly their families,” Reynolds told the dancers. “We really appreciate that.”
And Reynolds takes the responsibility of thanking the dancers personally.
“What it means to me is that it’s a great opportunity for me to really encourage the young people that are out there and have really spent the time and all their energy to raising money and supporting families and kids with cancer— to help make them comfortable while they are dealing with sometimes terminal illness,” she told The Daily Iowan. “It’s a way to honor the children that have survived and really remember the children that didn’t.”
But Reynolds isn’t at all surprised with how committed the students are.
“I like the energy, I like the commitment,” she said. “I love to look out and see thousands of young people that are so committed to making a difference in somebody else’s life. That’s Iowa. That’s who we are. We care about our neighbors, we care about families.”
