Manchester U. Students Take Dance Marathon To Aid Riley Hospital For Children Online
Posted
Staff Report-
NORTH MANCHESTER – Manchester University students invited the neighbors to come over and dance for a good cause, but COVID-19 waltzed in and shut it down. Instead of giving up, the students took it online, according to a news release.
“Where Dreams Come True” dance marathon to benefit Riley Hospital for Children was supposed to be held on the MU campus April 17, but now it is on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mu.dancemarathon/.
“Our goal is $8,000, and every penny we raise goes directly to the hospital,” Erin Brock, a senior at MU and co-president of the event, said. MU?junior Kaitlyn Cook is also co-president of the event.
To donate, visit link.manchester.edu/dance, and click the “donate” button to give in the name of a participant or directly to the Riley Children’s Foundation. T-shirts are also available and MU encourages anyone who gets one to tag their social media post with #MUDMFTK, which stands for Manchester University Dance Marathon For The Kids.
“Many of us have family and friends who are or have been patients at Riley’s,” Brock said. “We have loved ones who have fought for their life because of illness, so we dance to celebrate them and their strength while raising money and awareness to support those who are saving their lives.”
As of midday on Monday, more than $5,300 had been raised, including $500 from Manchester University President Dave McFadden, according to the news release.
“During the first week of April, we had what was called ‘Miracle Week,’ where every day was dedicated to a certain cause or awareness efforts,” Brock said. “In that week, we challenged President Dave to match the fundraising done by students and he agreed to match the first $500 raised. Lucky for us, students, faculty and staff managed to pull together over $1,400 within that week, well exceeding President Dave’s challenge. Therefore, by the end of the week, we had collected just over $1,900 from the community.”
Riley Children’s Foundation supports Riley Hospital for Children, Camp Riley for Youth with Physical Disabilities and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. Learn more at www.rileykids.org.
