Students raise over $15K
Black signs flipped through the air displaying the total raised. Students clapped and cheered, cried and hugged and the individual signs revealed a grand total of $15,871.62 raised during this year’s Dance Marathon.
Student organizations from around campus gathered together to celebrate the annual Dance Marathon event after a year-long fundraising push, with a day of dance on Saturday, April 1 in the MSUB ballrooms.
“Dance Marathon is a philanthropic movement that is actually two semesters long, so all year long. And we are constantly raising money for Driscoll Children’s Hospital and it goes to the families because they actually did not pay any bills or any type of medical expenses if their child is there at Driscoll Children’s Hospital,” Executive Director for Dance Marathon Danielle Martinez said.
Martinez said she has close ties with family and Driscoll Children’s Hospital, a reason she felt close to the event.
“This is something that I completely relate to, and being a part of it has changed my life so much. What I’m mostly passionate about, which might sound silly because we all say it, is the kids…. knowing that we’re the reason that that change is happening, and we need to be there to keep the change going,” she said.
Each year the event hosts Miracle Families – families and children being treated at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. They attend the event and await the reveal with students.
This year’s miracle family was the Martinez family.
John J was born in Jacksonville, N.C., had a stroke at birth. He was life-flighted to a hospital two hours away. He has been a patient at Driscoll Children’s Hospital since he was six months old.
The hospital has helped him manage his seizures, epilepsy and scoliosis, and he has also undergone several surgeries performed at the hospital.
“It’s been such a great experience, raising John J. We always question what is he going to be able to do? Where is he going to be able to do stuff? And a college experience is something I’ve always wanted him to have, and I didn’t know how possible it would be, but this [Dance Marathon] comes super close for him. To be able to be at a college and experience what it is for y’all to gather as a community and do wonderful things for people who aren’t even a part of your wonderful community,” John J’s mother Monica Martinez said.
Monica Martinez said her favorite thing about Driscoll Children’s Hospital is that everyone feels like family.
John J is in the process of learning to walk with the goal of walking across the stage at his high school graduation. His favorite part of the event was dancing.
At each Dance Marathon event students learn the “morale dance.” This year the dance was taught and choreographed by Director of Dancer Relations Pily Stevens.
“This is something that’s bigger than ourselves, it’s not just us, it’s not just our community it’s everybody. People come from the Valley, people come from San Antonio, just to go to this hospital in Corpus, so we should give to those people so that we can help,” Stevens said.
Stevens, along with her morale committee, aimed at keeping the event lively, led the line dance and kept morale up throughout the event.
She encourages students to get involved with the event.
For more information on Dance Marathon or to learn how to get involved visit https://www.tamuk.edu/greeks/dancemarathon/index.html.
