More than 350 participants danced the night away at Johns Hopkins University's Glass Pavilion on Saturday night (and into the wee hours of Sunday morning), raising $35,000 for the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in the process.
The annual JHU Dance Marathon is one of a series of similar events held at more than 150 colleges and high schools across the country to raise money for Children's Miracle Network hospitals. This year's overarching theme at JHU was Carpe DM—seize the day and the dance, to make a difference in the life of a child.
The turnout was more than double that of last year's event at Johns Hopkins, and the support exceeded the group's fundraising goal of $30,000.
"Dance Marathon 2014 was beyond a success to say the least," senior Anastasia Pierron, the event's co-president, wrote in an email to the Hub. "By the end of the night, we had surpassed the fundraising goal and hosted four Miracle Kids and their families. Dance Marathon made an everlasting footprint on the Hopkins community, one that we hope ensures it will always be a tradition at JHU as a way to bring together the campus for the kids."
Dancers started at 6 p.m. and danced until 2 a.m. as a lineup of DJs kept the party going. There were also performances by student dance and a cappella groups, including the Eclectics, SLAM, Jaywalk, the Vocal Chords, and the Mental Notes.
Activities included raffles and a silent auction (featuring autographed items donated by the Ravens and Orioles), a photo booth, and a limbo competition. Each hour of the event had a different musical theme, like luau, or Viva Las Vegas, or '90s throwback (nope, this last one doesn't make us feel old at all).
"One of the greatest parts of Dance Marathon is its ability to bring together people from all parts of Hopkins," senior Alexandra Colt, Dance Marathon co-president, wrote. "It's about the dancers and their friends, fellow Hopkins students, and community members coming together in support of the kids at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. ... All the money raised goes to making the lives of kids and their families healthier and happier during their stay in the hospital."
Donations can still be made at http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/event/JHUDM2014; 100% of all contributions go to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Any donations received going forward will go towards the fundraising total for Dance Marathon 2015.
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