Kiley Wellendorf | News Co-Editor
Buena Vista University (BVU) has recently grabbed onto a nation-wide fundraising program with plans of raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Dance Marathon, hosted by BVU students, includes: two directors, juniors Allie Mason and Kayla Lohse, along with four other committees: Manda Clark (junior, marketing), Natalie Bellairs (senior, day of the event), Bailey Hansen (junior, dance marketing), and Danielle Eden (junior, hospital and family outreach).
Dance Marathon, with an outreach of more than 250 schools around the United States, will be offered at BVU for the first time this year. Buena Vista’s Dance Marathon will be held on Saturday, Apr. 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. During this time, students will be encouraged to move, dance, and celebrate the money raised over the year.
Allie Mason, junior co-director, brought the idea to campus when she heard of her brother’s success stories from having Dance Marathon on Wartburg’s campus in the past.
“My brother has helped plan their Dance Marathon the last two years, and so I thought it would be a neat thing to bring here to BVU,” Mason said. “And after talking to Ashley Farmer-Hanson, she told us we could definitely get one started and that we just needed to contact the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, which is in Sioux City, IA.”
After contacting Sioux City’s hospital, BVU’s Dance Marathon has set a organizational goal of $11,000. If Dance Marathon is able to hit that specific goal, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital will be able to purchase a machine that determines whether or not jaundice lights are working.
“When a baby is born and has jaundice, they are put under lights. St. Luke’s wants to make sure their lights are working at their fullest potential, and the machine we are trying to buy for them will help them to be able to measure this,” Mason said.
Junior Nichole Wiese is currently participating in raising money for Dance Marathon on campus.
“Since I have never participated in Dance Marathon before, I was unsure of what to set my personal goal at, and for this reason I set it relatively low and reachable. My goal for this year is $200, and I have already raised $240,” Wiese said.
If a student is interested in joining Dance Marathon, Mason and Lohse have a website set up to help participants set a personal fundraising goal, which will eventually help fulfill Buena Vista’s $11,000 goal.
For more information regarding BVU’s Dance Marathon, please click the link below.
www.bvudancemarathon.com/
Graphic by Justice Gage
