Dance Marathon - Charity Dance Marathons

Charity Dance Marathons

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as 'THON, is a 46 hour-long dance marathon that takes place every February at the Pennsylvania State University with the purpose of raising money to combat children's cancer. It was started in 1973 by the University's Interfraternity Council, and in its first year, more than $2,000 was raised, with 39 couples dancing for 30 hours straight. Today, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world with $9,563,016.09 having been raised at the 2011 event, pushing the overall money total since THON's inception to over $78 million. In February 2012, THON helped raised $10,686,924.83. The money that is raised is donated to The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to defeating pediatric cancer through research and caring for patients at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center Children's Hospital.

Founded in 1975, the Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM) is one of the world's largest student-run philanthropies. The event brings together more than 1,500 students, faculty, and staff to participate in the 30-hour dance-a-thon at the end of the winter quarter. The primary beneficiary is chosen each May, and over 300 committee members work throughout the year to help organize the event and raise awareness. In 2012, NUDM raised $1,107,760 to benefit The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. In its 38-year history, NUDM has raised more than $13 million for 30 different charities.

Other colleges that have Dance Marathons include the University of Kentucky, University of Southern California, Indiana University, Florida State University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, UCLA, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, Wake Forest University, University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, University of Florida, University of South Florida and University of Utah. In 2010, the 20th annual Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM) raised $1,602,713.20 for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. To date, the 36-hour IUDM has raised over $8.5 million for Riley. The University of Florida holds the largest student-run philanthropy in the Southeastern United States that includes over 2000 student volunteers and a fundraising total of over $5.6 million in the last 18 years. Rutgers' 32-hour Dance Marathon has raised over $2 million for the Embrace Kids Foundation, which aids families of children with cancer and blood disorders. Dance Marathon at UCLA, in its 11th year in 2012 and raised a total of $3 million, benefits the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Project Kindle, One Heartland, and the UCLA AIDS Institute. The University of Iowa Dance Marathon was founded in 1994 and in 2012 raised $1,369,147.18 to support oncology patients being treated at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Stanford's Dance Marathon benefits primarily Partners in Health and FACE AIDS, and they also choose a local beneficiary each year. The Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan (DMUM) raises money to support programs at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, part of the University of Michigan Health System, and William Beaumont Hospital. The money raised for these therapies allows DMUM families to participate in various therapies. Participants of DMUM volunteer at these therapies in order to build relationships with Dance Marathon children. Every March, Participants of DMUM stand 30 hours at Michigan's Indoor Track and Field show their dedication to the children, families, and hospitals we support.

The fastest growing dance marathon in the nation, DanceBlue, began when Jennifer Mynear led a forum at the University of Kentucky regarding the potential for a dance maraton on the campus. Jennifer's son, Jarrett Mynear, died at the age of 13 after an 11-year long battle with cancer. Leadership groups around UK's campus were inspired to recruit organizers for this new cancer campaign, and they were met with tremendous support. Organizers found a welcome home for this new event at the UK Center for Community Outreach. The first DanceBlue marathon took place at Memorial Coliseum in February 2006 with more than 30 student organizations and 180 dancers. The marathon raised $123,323.16 for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic. That year, DanceBlue broke all fundraising records for a first-year dance marathon event. It became the most successful student-run philanthropy event in UK’s history and has continued to grow over the years. The 2011 dance marathon found success with the help of 700 dancers, 95 teams, and countless donors and raised $673.976.60 for the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic situating the grand total of funds raised by DanceBlue at over $2,675,000 since its inception in 2005. DanceBlue continues to expand to involve more students, staff, and members of the Lexington community.