Students and community members are raising funds and showing support for The Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network through the “Dance to Make a Difference” event.
In its eighth year, “Dance to Make a Difference,” hosted by CU’s Panhellenic Association and CUSG, was a fun event that mixed dancing, food, games and entertainment for CU students as well as patients and their families from The Children’s Hospital.
Claire Mueller, a 22-year-old psychology major who helped coordinate the event, said dance marathons take place at universities all around the country, and said CU’s focus is on The Children’s Hospital.
“We try to raise more funds for the Children’s Hospital,” Mueller said. “All donations go directly to the regional children’s hospital.”
She also said that she has been impressed by how the community has supported the event.
“We’ve put a lot of work in it [the event] to make sure it keeps growing,” she said. “It’s amazing how many people are willing to support such a great cause.”
There is a lot of work put in, as preparations generally begin about 11 months in advance, said Molly Oliver, a CU graduate and a coordinator with the Children’s Miracle Network.
Oliver said she feels the event is important.
“This [event] is an incredibly important CU event,” she said. “It’s a great way for students to get involved and for the CU community to realized how passionate students are.”
The event generally raises between $40-60,000, and as of the start of this year’s event, $42,00 had been raised for the hospital, Oliver said.
“Dance to Make a Difference” has become such a big event for CU that this fall it became the university’s official philanthropy.
The papers to make the marathon the university’s official philanthropic event were submitted to CUSG and passed in an 11-2 vote, said Dana Munson, a 21-year-old senior and psychology and communication double-major.
“We’ve been working for a couple of years, and we finally got enough people to be a part of this,” Munson said.
The main focus of this event is the families and the patients from the regional children’s hospital, Oliver said. There were 14 families in attendance, and some of the kids were paired up one on one with CU students who were “miracle workers” for the day.
Rachel Joha, a child who has been attending the event for all eight years, said she enjoyed herself and has been impressed by the growth and support.
“It has gotten a lot bigger and a lot bolder,” Joha said. “I think it’s great to have a local college come out and support us.”
Though the event may be over, fundraising is ongoing until the end of the year, Oliver said.
For more information or donations, visit www.cudancemarathon.org.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Isa Jones at Alexandra.i.jones@colorado.edu.
