Dance Marathon (Rose’s Version)
Hello Readers,
February 2nd and 3rd was the University of Iowa’s Dance Marathon. It was full of fun and most people were excited to go to the event and stay awake for 24 hours. But I think some outsiders don’t see the commitment we make throughout the year.
In August, you go to the first meeting; they hype up the Dance and we are reminded that it’s not just the big event we are preparing for. We have to remember that we are raising money for our Dance Families. With all the sparkle and fun comes real work and making connections. No matter if you’re a dancer, leader, or organizer you still have made a commitment to this group and in your journey to raise as much money as possible.
Goals: In September, in our second meeting they spoke about goals and as a dancer, your required goal to be part of the dance in February is $300. Now I truly believe that’s amazing that if 300 people raised $300 each we would make $90,000, but I like to challenge myself. This is why I made a goal that would push me to make connections with businesses in our hometown to not just raise my minimum but also go way above and beyond. So in September, I decided I wanted to raise $1,000. I told everyone I knew, and used social media to reach people I don’t even know. But my biggest accomplishment would be working with my hometown coffee shop 392 Cafe.
We decided with the help of the owners that they would choose one day when they would have all three shops donate 15% during my winter break. We choose the 17th. Then my job was to advertise both for DM and 392 cafe. So I went on Instagram and Snapchat and sent personal messages to my family and friends who were in the Clinton and Davenport area. In just one day all three shops combined raised $994.00. I was so happy not only had I reached my goal but all the money I had raised would go to our families.
Now we have passed the big event and we as a whole club raised over 1 Million, but we always can try to raise more. So if you’re an incoming student or a returning student next year, come join us. We work together as the biggest club to make sure these families feel heard and know that we are fighting this battle with them. If every person chose to put some time into Dance Marathon, we could not only change these families’ lives but we could put money towards research and save 100s of lives in the future. Hope to see more of your lovely faces at those meetings next year.
Sincerely,
Rose
I remember being in high school and feeling lonely but one of the best parts of growing up is I make my own choices. If I want to go to Starbucks with my music major friends or if I want to decorate my room with some paper decorations I can. I also want to enjoy the way the city decorates for the holidays because while yes Christmas is what many people celebrate it’s not the only holiday and I love seeing such diversity and excitement in everybody it really is a time for giving.
Honestly, we think more about what we want from the dining hall and how we are going to get to our jobs from across the campus. So be true to yourself. If you don’t like to drink, don’t drink. As the sober, friend I tend to be the safest way my friends can call and I don’t mind.
