From dreams to dancing to donations
Faith Escamilla, A&M-Kingsville junior animal science major and executive director of Dance Marathon has shown her leadership on campus through Fraternity and Sorority Life. She pushes herself to not just stay active and involved, but to challenge those around her to do the same.
Dance Marathon is a cause to raise funds and provide emotional support and awareness for Driscoll Children’s Hospital’s pediatric patients and families. As director, Escamilla’s responsibilities include but are not limited to overseeing administration coordination, managing the Dance Marathon Executive Team and committees, overseeing preparation details, and primarily serving as a liaison to Corpus Christi Driscoll Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) and the TAMUK community.
Dance Marathon will take place on April 23. All registered dancers are encouraged to attend. Students can support the cause by visiting TAMUK’s Dance Marathon’s Instagram page @TAMUKDM and donating through the link in the bio.
“My main role in this position is to encourage my board and ultimately create an event where kids can be kids,” Escamilla said.
CMN is a non-profit organization that raises funds and awareness for more than 170 pediatric hospitals in North America. Driscoll Children’s Hospital works with CMN through Dance Marathon with 100 percent of the funds raised through the event staying in and around the area to support local children.
“The best thing about this organization is that it is local. There are actually some students here that had to use Driscoll hospital so they really support it because they might be someone or know someone who used some of the fundings from this event, so it’s really well known in the fraternity and sorority life. Other universities do it and we wanted to try it here and it was a huge success and we saw the benefit from it,” Dance Marathon Advisor and Director of Student Engagement and Campus Life Erin McClure said.
Alongside Escamilla, fourth year Dance Marathon participant and Director of Family and Hospital Relations Clarissa Benavides plays an important role in organizing the event on campus. Benavides remains in contact with Driscoll Children’s Hospital advisers and connects with Miracle Families in the local area to raise funds.
“I enjoyed my time at TAMUK because I have had Faith as my right-hand partner in a lot of the projects that we work on. Faith’s passion for Dance Marathon and changing kid’s health is the driving force this year as she works as the Executive Director,” Benavides said.
This is Escamilla’s second year serving on the board. Her main reason for involvement was because of the passion her alumni sisters expressed for the cause. Her Theta Phi Alpha Women’s Fraternity sisters’ advocative efforts and push for the event inspired Escamilla’s call to action to continue the legacy.
“Being a leader to me means knowing when to step up and when to step back. When positions need to be filled, usually I’m the first to volunteer or apply; however, I cannot always be the front line to every organization. Having that self-awareness of when to lead and when to follow is what allows others to grow, including yourself,” Escamilla said.
Serving on the board and seeing first-hand patients fight battles that they shouldn’t have to fight gives Escamilla a sense of gratitude for her own health. Dance Marathon has given Escamilla a passion to advocate for the fight against pediatric illnesses.
“As a leader, you have to know how to have people follow you. You have to be able to change your leadership style according to some of your followers to keep your ethics, morals and values but also figure out what’s the best way to lead everybody differently. I think that Faith has grown into being a really good leader. She has learned to take her past and learn from it and take her leadership role and go with it,” McClure said.
The Director’s Board hopes for the event to continue to grow on campus in future years. They encourage all student organizations, community members and local businesses to help join the fight against childhood illness.
“Every year, we want to be able to raise more than the past year. Faith keeps us motivated to keep asking for donations, telling people about our cause and remembering that this event is not about us, but about the kids,” Benavides said.
Dance Marathon is just one of the many opportunities on campus for students to get involved and find something they are invested in, that they are passionate for and that they can support.
Dance Marathon is about emphasizing that kids’ health cannot wait. The event strikes hope and ultimately, inspires Faith. Students can get involved with the organization by joining a committee or by registering for the event itself.
“I encourage others to do the same by getting involved. Joining a committee, attending an informational, and attending the event is what sparks that passion for causes. Roles, like mine, aren’t easy, but knowing that the work is hard and that you have a board that shares the same passion is what makes these positions worth filling,” Escamilla said.
