Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Marathoners to dance all night

“We dance because we can; we stand for those who can’t.” This motivational phrase has been adopted by Wisconsin Dance Marathon, a local student organization dedicated to helping provide health care for children at the American Family Children’s Hospital here in Madison.

The committee puts on a dance marathon event every year to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. Even though the University of Wisconsin was the last Big Ten school to create a dance marathon, the event is doing truly great things.

“The first event took place in February of the 2008-09 school year at the Shell. It raised more money in the first event than any other dance marathon had raised in its first year,” said Emily Kesner, Wisconsin Dance Marathon’s co-director.

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As a patient at the Children’s Hospital herself, Kesner became gradually more involved in the cause, volunteering at her hometown’s children’s hospital as a high school student and as a dance marathoner as a student here at UW.

“I think the thing that’s different for us than other schools is that even though every student on our campus now hasn’t been on our campus without a dance marathon, we’re still a really young event. Also, I think anyone who has participated in our event, anyone who has been involved with the American Family Children’s Hospital would really attest to the fact that this is an amazing facility. A lot of people don’t even know about the fact that we have this world-class pediatric care available right on our campus,” Kesner said.

Wisconsin Dance Marathon gives every dime it raises through fundraising to the hospital. It also funds special family dinners twice a month at the hospital for families who have children there long-term so they don’t have to purchase dinner every night.

“We like to think that serving family dinners is a great way to kind of take a little bit of the burden off of the families,” Kesner said.

The funds also go toward the program Comfort Kids. The program provides patients with entertainment in their rooms tailored by age and gender.

The event itself will be held March 2 this year at Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. It takes place in the Union’s Great Hall for 15 hours. There will be a DJ playing the entire event, a live band, a Memorial Union House Party with root beer pong and sumo suit wrestling, as well as other forms of entertainment. A spirit squad will choreograph a line dance that all participants learn and can perform once every hour. Toward the end of the event, families, executives and others from the hospital are invited to share their stories and have some fun; they are then presented the money the event raised.

Every participant must raise at least $100 to enter the event, which may seem quite intimidating, but Wisconsin Dance Marathon offers various resources to meet and exceed everyone’s fundraising goals. The committee itself does not set any monetary goals. “The event isn’t about how much we raise, it’s about the fact that all the money we raise is money the hospital and the kids wouldn’t have had otherwise, Kesner said.

“It’s about something bigger than me; it’s about something bigger than you, and while it may seem exhausting, it’s genuine. These kids and all of these families are going through things 10 times worse than anything we could even imagine. By giving a little bit of ourselves, we can do so much good in the community. It’s up to each and everyone one of us to do the little things that we can, and if the Dance Marathon is the way someone chooses to give back to their community, that’s great.”

The Wisconsin Dance Marathon team put an immense amount of work into this year’s event, as well as past events. Kesner reiterated that they are a group dedicated to the continuation of top-notch pediatric care in the Madison community and that believes in the cause it represents.

“Whatever we raise is an achievement; it’s about that fact that every little bit helps,” she said.

To access more information about Wisconsin Dance Marathon and how to get involved with this year’s event or The American Family Children’s Hospital, please visit www.uwdancemarathon.org.

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