Lucky 13 for DanceBlue
At 8 p.m. on February 18, more than 900 students jumped and cheered in response to the amazing work that came to fruition. With joyful hearts, tired feet and cheerful dispositions, the dancers at the 2018 DanceBlue Marathon lasted 24-hours of no sitting and no sleeping in honor of the tireless pursuit of finding the cure to pediatric cancer!
In its 13th year, DanceBlue was ecstatic to reveal its fundraising total of $1,804,068.77. While the amount of money is always something amazing to recognize, DanceBlue doesn’t focus on how big or small that total is. DanceBlue focuses on the way that money can be used to support the children and families battling pediatric cancer in the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic.
Madison Conroy, the DanceBlue overall chair, said “I could not be more proud to be a student at a university that empowers students to be a part of something greater than themselves. Over the years, the students have grasped on to the idea of DanceBlue and worked so hard toward the greater mission, of ending pediatric cancer. While it will be bittersweet to see DanceBlue 2018 come to a close, it is exciting to know that there are so many passionate students who will continue to grow DanceBlue in the years to come!”
DanceBlue is UK’s largest student-run philanthropy — a yearlong fundraising effort involving thousands of UK students, culminating in a 24-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon. All of the money raised by DanceBlue goes to the Golden Matrix Fund and cancer research. Since the organization’s launch in 2006, DanceBlue has raised more than $13,420,898.35 for the kids, providing financial and emotional support for children and families living with childhood cancer.
DanceBlue students volunteer approximately 1,000 hours in the clinic each year. Every week, dozens of students produce smiles and laughter among patients and families during their medical visits at the clinic. Students selflessly give their time every day because of that one phrase that embodies the DanceBlue mission: “For The Kids.”
DanceBlue is the University of Kentucky’s 24-hour, no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon that benefits the Golden Matrix Fund. The DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic opened its brand new facility in 2017 after a complete renovation funded solely from DanceBlue.
This article also appears on page 14 of the March 2018 printed edition of the Hamburg Journal.
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