Dance Marathons transform fall fundraising efforts and make bold statements

For 26.2 hours from Tuesday, Oct. 22 to Wednesday, Oct. 23, Dance Marathon at the University of Florida held its fall fundraising push event, Transform Today. With a goal of $650,000, students rallied and raised funds through a variety of ways, culminating in a special total reveal event. In all, they raised an announced $652,946.26 in less than two days! This is a new international record among all Dance Marathon programs for a single push event. Transform Today is part of the year-long effort where students raise money to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. The collegiate program and its 24 supporting high school programs all contributed to the event’s success.

Dance Marathon at Florida State University continued to carry the torch during their fall fundraising push event, Florida Statement. For 26.2 hours from Wednesday, Nov. 13 to Thursday, Nov. 14, Dance Marathon students set out to raise $400,000 and raise awareness for the Child Life program at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. They revealed an impressive $414,594.36 total at the culmination of their two-day event, with more than $60,000 having been contributed by 10 local high schools in the Tallahassee market. Like Transform Today, Florida Statement is part of a year-long effort for Dance Marathon students at Florida State University. Their philanthropic efforts are unique in that funds raised are split between Children’s Miracle Network at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and the FSU College of Medicine’s pediatric outreach programs.

OwlThon at Florida Atlantic University concluded our hospital market’s Dance Marathon fall fundraising push events with their fourth annual push day, Be Bold. For 26.2 hours from Wednesday, Nov. 20 to Thursday, Nov. 21, Dance Marathon students set out to raise $45,000 and raise awareness for the more than 45,000 patients treated annually at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. They revealed a $45,012.90 total at the culmination of their two-day event. Like Transform Today and Florida Statement, Be Bold is part of a year-long effort for Dance Marathon students at Florida Atlantic University. Their philanthropic efforts are unique in that funds raised are sent directly to their local Children’s Miracle Network hospital which is more than four hours away.

Between the 26.2 hours of their respective events, students from Dance Marathon at UF, FSU and OwlThon at FAU raised more than $1,112,553 for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. This is nearly $80,000 more than the combined push day efforts in the fall of 2018.