DM Showcase Week: Dance Marathon at the University of Florida
“Something that stands out to me about Dance Marathon at UF is the way it makes children feel special. It’s been said that ‘sometimes real superheroes live in the hearts of small children fighting big battles.’ When you walk into the arena and you see the face of a child who is struggling with a brain tumor, or mitochondrial disease, or a complex heart condition, and they are beaming with happiness because of the efforts of your fellow students, there’s really nothing like it. It’s indescribable. They truly feel like superheroes.
These children, despite their circumstances, are able to come and forget about the hospital beds, the uncertainty, the bounds of their diagnosis. They come and feel the love of thousands of students who are standing for them.
Not only does DM at UF help to provide state-of-the-art equipment and research, it provides a supportive network and atmosphere characterized by friendship and love to our most vulnerable patients. It has to be the most rewarding and inspiring experience I’ve felt in my life.” – Marni Rochkind, 2018 Dance Marathon at UF Multimedia Overall Director
“Dance Marathon at UF has an everlasting impact on the Gainesville community. With UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in our backyard, it provides a profound level of inspiration for students here at UF. Children from across the state and nation come to UF Health Shands to receive state-of-the-art care where they instantly become part of our greater Dance Marathon community.
For the students who dedicate their time to Dance Marathon, these children and families are never far from our minds. At any given time, you know that just down the hill from main campus there are children fighting great battles within the walls of UF Health Shands.
Whether it is the students who dance, the doctors who treat these patients, or the community members who support this cause year-round, so much of the Gainesville community is shaped by Dance Marathon at UF.” – Bailey Boulter, 4-Year Dancer at Dance Marathon at UF
The 2017-18 Dance Marathon season is now open! This week, we spotlight the five stellar student-led programs that support our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
You can help UF students get a jump right now: http://bit.ly/DMatUF.