Chi Omega breaks record, raises $109,653.94 for Dance Marathon 25
Dance Marathon 25 was one to remember. As we celebrated the silver anniversary, we didn’t sit; we didn’t sleep; we didn’t drink caffeine. We danced. Each hour we were inspired by a new story, and we kept dancing. Dance Marathon 25 successfully raised $2,960,403.25. Everyone left the IMU proud of all the money raised. As for Chi Omega, we contributed $109,653.94, and for the fourth consecutive year, we received the Mary Peterson Award for being the highest Greek fundraising chapter on campus. Not to forget the 18 brave sisters who ran the Chicago Marathon just months ago. All For The Kids.
We are so proud of all of our sisters that decided to donate their hair to create wigs for the kids!
“I originally began doing Dance Marathon for and with my best friend Kara, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma our senior year in high school. During that time she lost her hair due to her course of treatment. She was forced to transition into our college lives choosing between wearing wigs that itched or going without hair at all. I admired her strength and resilience and the way she embraced how beautiful she truly was. She was the reason behind me donating my hair for the first time. A woman’s hair is like a blanket, as well as a piece of your identity. Maybe you can imagine that without it, you’d feel bare and lost, and the fact that I was able to give a child or teenage girl a renewed sense of identity was beyond me. For a similar reason, I donated my hair for a second time at Dance Marathon 25. To have the ability to make a little girl or young woman feel beautiful again was an opportunity I did not think twice about and is hopefully one more way I can change another life next year”
-Courtney Sadler
“Dance Marathon was one of the most life changing experiences for me. I truly did not know what to expect when I first joined this year, but I think I got my first glimmer of how much it would impact me on Day to DM. This day, I saw how every came together for such a good cause and I was absolutely amazed what a college organization could do in just 24 hours!! I can’t wait to do it again and keep impacting the strongest kiddos in the entire world!!” - Rachel Tandy
Macy Meredith
“My experience as the Fundraising Chair for DM25 was one of the most life-changing times of my life. After being on the business committee for the past two years of Dance Marathon, it’s been cool to get to see the behind-the-scenes of how the organization works and to get to experience all of the events throughout the year when we sell merchandise, tickets, and take donations. Spending 24 hours celebrating all of the work that is put in throughout the entire year by getting to see the smiles on the kiddos faces is the most amazing feeling!! And getting to do it with one of my best friends by my side on the Business Committee with me has been the coolest I can’t wait for DM26!!”
Renee Cafun
“Being a lime captain was an amazing experience! From seeing dancers fall more and more in love with DM as the year went on and seeing how excited they were to finally make it to he Big Event was so rewarding!! As lime captain, the Big Event looked a lot different than my year as a dancer, but my favorite part was and always will be the kiddo graduation and watching all of those amazingly strong individuals walk across that stage having beat cancer.”
“I chose to participate in DM this year because I had so much fun with my sisters last year and was inspired by one of my professors. The first day of class this winter he told us about how impactful DM was to his family when his son was in the NICU. I then pledged to dance and was so glad I did! After fundraising for three weeks, I made it to the Big Event! My favorite moment this year was during the Kids Talent Show when a DM kid named Aubrey sang Taylor Swift and the whole ballroom was going crazy for her like a real concert venue. Seeing her eyes light up and living out her dream in stage was such a surreal moment for me as a dancer.“
- Ciara McCune
“My dance marathon experience was definitely unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Hearing the family speakers made all the tiredness and pain worth it because they are such an inspiration. I honestly wasn’t sure I could go 24 hours without sleeping or caffeine, but the children inspired me to keep going.”
- Sydney Aitchison
