Dancers stay up all night for a good cause
Each February, several hundred Carolina students get together and pull an all-nighter. But it's not a study group—it's a dedicated bunch who burn the midnight oil to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network and Palmetto Health Foundation.
The 24-hour Dance Marathon raised more than $81,000 in 2006, the eighth year for the event. It has raised more than $400,000 in the previous seven years. Money will to help fund a new children's hospital in Columbia that is scheduled to be ready in 2008.
“The biggest challenge is staying up and alert.”
Carolina's event, the first in the state, is setting the standard for its peers, as Clemson, College of Charleston, and Coastal Carolina organizers have visited to learn the logistics of putting on their own events.
One of the most important lessons: You can catch up on your sleep later. “The biggest challenge is staying up and alert. I’m exhausted,” said Tiffany Caroffino, a student who served as public relations director for Dance Marathon in 2006
Executive director JJ Bettencourt couldn't keep track of how many consecutive hours she had been awake, but knew she was faring better than in 2005. “It's too late to do the math. I started at about 9 a.m. Friday (10 hours before the event's official start). Last year as facilities director, I started at 6, so I got three extra hours this year. That's a bonus.”
Students like Justin Linne, a freshman in 2005-06, serve on the Morale Committee, which tries to keep students energized—or at least awake—during the lulls between dancing and activities. “You try to have them stay alert and excited, and not sit down and get tired, especially in the wee hours of the morning,” he said.
Helping the children who benefit from the philanthropy—Dance Marathon is the largest student-run event not only at Carolina but also in North America, with 80 participating college campuses—is incentive enough for most students. Children and their families participate during the event by giving personal testimonials.
“The most memorable part is the family talks,” Linne said. “The kids come in, and it puts a face to name that students are dancing for. They're probably more motivated knowing they're dancing for specific kids and not just the hospital.”
Lynn Hazel, the local Children's Miracle Director for Palmetto Health, agreed that Carolina students care about the children. “When I come to a meeting, it's not just about the business of new fund-raising idea, it's like, ‘Can bring a kid with you?’ Or during the event, it's ‘Who’s telling their story next?’ or ‘When are the kids going to dance?’
“I think it's the emotional part they get out of it, too, that will teach them to be lifetime philanthropists. It's teaching them to give back now and hopefully they will continue to give back throughout their lives.”