Warsaw Community High School now has an official “FirstGiving” page for its first-ever Riley Dance Marathon. According to Cody Shafer, WCHS junior class president and Indiana Association of Student Councils High School Division Northeast District representative, the page can be found at https://www.firstgiving.com/SupportingRileyChildren/WarsawDM The high school’s Riley Dance is scheduled for March 23. While the event will only be open to WCHS students, invited guests and student councils from the Indiana Student Council Association northeast districts, the giving page is an opportunity for the public to donate to Riley Hospital for Children. A Dance Marathon is a tribute to the families of Riley. Participants remain on their feet for six hours out of respect for the families and for those kids who can’t stand on their own. Dance Marathons were started in 1991 by friends of Ryan White, who had been a patient at Riley. White was an Indiana teen with hemophilia who became HIV positive through a blood transfusion. Not a lot was known about HIV and AIDs then, but through his efforts White educated the public about the disease. Though he was planning to attend Indiana University, he died after high school. Friends wanted to recognize White and his legacy, so they put on a Dance Marathon at I.U. in 1991. Now, the university’s Dance Marathons have thousands of attendees and raise more than $2 million for Riley. I.U. isn’t alone. Dance Marathons are held at high schools and colleges across the country. The WCHS Riley Dance Marathon will go from 5 to 11 p.m. Cost is $8 without a shirt and $10 with a shirt. To follow the event on Twitter, follow @wchsrileydance, or check the events page on Facebook. For more information, contact Shafer at cody.shafer@iasc.us For more on Dance Marathons, visit the official website at http://www.rileykids.org/events/dance_marathons/
