Written By: Hannah Bobek
It wouldn’t be Dance Marathon at the University of Florida without our Dancers. Hundreds of students participate every year in the Main Event to benefit the patients at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. They remain awake to support educational programs, such as Child Life Diversion therapy, and raise awareness for the children at Shands Children’s Hospital. By fundraising thousands of dollars every year, they fund the necessary supplies, equipment, educational resources and research that goes toward finding solutions for incurable diseases.
From learning the Linedance to hearing stories from our inspiring Miracle Families, each Dancer plays an important role in our philanthropy. Partaking in the Main Event as a Dancer is an experience like no other, and while they participate throughout the entire event, they also work throughout the year to make Dance Marathon a reality. A few Dancers shared their reasons for registering, what makes the Dance Marathon community here at UF special and what the organization means to them:
Julia Toledo
“I decided to join the organization because after my first year at UF, I saw how big Dance Marathon was, and I wanted to be a part of something that truly made an impact on the community around me. I joined as a Dancer as a way to become more involved and have a more personal experience.”
Macy Monsour
“I decided to be a Dancer because I wanted to be more involved and meet other people involved in Dance Marathon. In elementary school, I knew a kid who had cancer, and he battled it for 10 years before sadly passing away. Seeing him fight and all the struggles he went through inspired me to further help other kids with cancer.”
Amanda Fernandez
“I became a Dancer for Dance Marathon because it is a small yet impactful thing I can do with my friends to help the children around us. I find these children to be inspiring and anything that I can do to aid them or their parents really warms my heart. I also love how we get to know the children, and being a Dancer would give me the opportunity to actually meet the children and see what a massive effect DM at UF had on these children and their lives.”
While the Main Event will look different this year, we know one thing will remain the same: our Dancers will continue to make up an integral part of Dance Marathon. We couldn’t do what we do without them. With a little less than nine weeks until the Main Event, there is no better time to register to become a Dancer for DM at UF 2021. You can register as an individual or sign up with an Organization.
We are making the Main Event more inclusive than ever before. This year, there will be two 13.1-hour shifts to make sure that we are taking every precaution possible to safely execute the event. To ensure that we accommodate all participants, Dancers can also attend Dance Marathon 2021 through the virtual experience option. If you are ready to join us in the fight to end childhood illness, you can register to be a Dancer for DM at UF here: https://events.dancemarathon.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=ticket.start&eventID=4327