Friday, March 5, 2021 It's not too late to get involved in Dance Marathon
by Kirsten Wandrey | Student Affairs
You've likely heard about Dance Marathon around campus. This fundraising RSO is devoted to supporting Children's Hospital patients and their families. Lucky for you, it's not too late to sign up – here's how you can still get involved in Dance Marathon.
This year's HuskerThon event will take place from 2:00 to 11:55 p.m. March 20 at the Campus Recreation Center's Cook Pavilion.
The fundraising goal is $247,000. Of this total, $200,000 will go to funding a Radiology Room and an Ultrasound Room, and the remaining proceeds are dedicated to funding five CARES (Children’s Ambulatory Recovery and Express Services) patient rooms. All funds raised will be donated directly to the Children's Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.
Huskers can register for the event and donate here. The usual signup fee is waived for this year and students can sign up at any time before the HuskerThon. Each registrant is required to raise at least $100 before they can gain admittance to the event.
Due to the continued pandemic, HuskerThon will look slightly different than in years past. To accommodate for social distancing and reduced capacities, the event is taking place in two locations simultaneously: 300 people will be allowed in Cook Pavilion from 2 to 6 p.m. At the same time, Dance Marathon staff members will host a virtual family room with other attendees, partaking in fun activities over Zoom. Miracle Children and their families typically attend the in-person event, but because of health risks, they will participate by Zoom this year.
At 7 p.m., the two groups will switch for the next four-hour period. Participants who started in the virtual festivities will be able to participate in-person, and those who were in-person during the first half of HuskerThon will then transition to the virtual option. The hour gap from 6 to 7 p.m. gives time for the air in Cook Pavilion to be recycled and allows time for cleaning between groups.
In-person spots are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Those unable to get into Cook Pavilion can attend the entire day's festivities through the Zoom option.
During the last hour of the event, starting at 11 p.m., Dance Marathon staff members will be the only in-person participants working toward the final fundraising reveal. All participants who raised $100 or more can watch this portion of the HuskerThon event via livestream.
Numerous exciting activities will take place over the course of the entire HuskerThon. Events include raffles with prizes, speeches from Miracle Families, yard games, a virtual talent show and a performance from the UNL Red Keys acapella group.
Click here to watch a video from Children's Hospital explaining more about how Dance Marathon funds will benefit patients and families.
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