Chi Omega breaks the record at Dance Marathon 24 by raising over $100,000
24 hours. No sitting, no sleeping, and no caffeine. $3,011,015.24. All For The Kids. Dance Marathon 24 was a year of creating traditions and breaking records. The new tradition of the Kinnick Wave swept the nation, getting featured on ESPN and receiving the Disney Sports Spirit Award. Not only was DM 24 successful as a whole; it was also quite the year for our Chi Omega chapter. We are so proud to be the first Greek chapter at the University of Iowa to raise over $100,000 for Dance Marathon, and for the third consecutive year we received the Mary Peterson Award for being the highest Greek fundraising chapter on campus. Additionally, we had 17 sisters take on the Chicago Marathon in 2017 as charity runners for Dance Marathon 24. All of this culminated to February 2, 2018, where thousands of dancers from across campus gathered to celebrate life, rejoice the accomplishments made, and dance For The Kids.
My freshman year here at Iowa I stood in the back of the ballroom seeing the tote board go up showing 2 million dollars.My senior year, I stood in the front of the ballroom seeing the tote board go up to show three million dollars. In 4 years, we achieved a million dollar increase on top of moving into a brand new children's hospital, and ACHIEVING many milestones in between!! I couldn't love this organization more. I am so honored to be a small part in the financial and emotional support Dance Marathon provides for cancer victims and their families. - Ashley Mazzocchi
24 hours of no standing, sleeping, or caffeine? Seems pretty daunting. And there are times when it is definitely just as hard as it sounds. But the pain that our bodies are feeling throughout that one day is nothing compared to what a innocent child battling cancer experiences in just one hour. This big event was my first year on leadership with Dance Marathon, and I didn't think that my passion for this organization could grow any more, but DM once again proved me wrong. The atmosphere of being surrounded by 3,000 other students is absolutely exhilarating, and the inspiration fills every corner of the room to help keep you on your feet. Why do I dance? I dance for a cure. I dance for more laughs, birthdays, and memories. I dance so that parents never have to experience losing a child to cancer. I dance for the kids. Dance Marathon is so much more than just the money (not that Chi Omega raising 100k as a chapter isn't amazing because holy moly is it!!!) Dance Marathon is the hope that one day, we will no longer need to dance for a cure, but we will be dancing in celebration of that found cure. These kiddos are my inspiration, and for them, I will never stop dancing. - Hayley Stuenkel
'Their journeys will become a part of each of us.' As a first year member of the Family Relations cabinet I walked into this year thinking I was going to change the lives of these families. Little did I know, they changed mine. Each kiddo I have played with and every parent I have talked with on the 11th floor of the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital has given me a reason to both laugh and cry. What these families endure throughout their journey battling pediatric cancer is one which no words can do it justice. I dance to remind them they aren’t alone. I dance for the kiddos who fought but did not win. I dance for the families who are running out of hope. I dance with a goal in mind that someday we will find a cure and this $3 million is one giant steps towards reach exactly that.
- Courtney
Experiencing the big event as a captain was easily the best 24 hours of my life. Not only did I get to dance, smile, cry, and laugh, I got to do that with all of my dancers that made it to the big event. It's so heartwarming to see them find their way and to see them experience it for the first time...and this year for them to have experienced breaking records and raising $3,011,015.24 FOR THE KIDS at their very first is the coolest and most rewarding thing to see as a captain! As for this year as a whole, I couldn't be more thankful to have fundraised FTK, met some amazing kiddos, and found the best friends on Morale '18. Dance Marathon 24 gave me memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. - Annie
We had many sisters who held leadership positions throughout the year, but one of our sisters had an essential role in DM 24. Riley Coyle was the Executive Hospital Director and has decided to dedicate her life work to kiddos like those on the 11th floor of the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.