About Dance Marathon

Dance Marathon at FSU is the university’s largest student-run philanthropy. February 12th through February 14th 2010 Dance Marathon at FSU will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary, and it is going to be bigger and better than ever! In the past, DM was a 32 hour celebration in which over 900 students volunteered to stand on their feet to raise money for the children of our community. For the first time, these students will stand for a total of 40 hours in one weekend! FSU students are giving an entirely new meaning to Dance Marathon by staying on their feet for as many hours as one would during an entire work week! There are expected to be over 1000 dancers this year, split into two 20 hour shifts. An additional 1,000 volunteers and over 3,000 visitors will attend the event, including children treated at Shands Hospital .

Dance Spectators also include students, faculty, alumni, Seminole athletes, and many community members.
Since its launch in 1996, Dance Marathon at FSU has raised more than $2.2 million for Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital and The FSU College of Medicine’s pediatric outreach programs. In 2009 alone almost $385,000 was raised to benefit the children of Tallahassee and surrounding areas! Without the support of campus organizations and student volunteers, Dance Marathon would not be where it is today. Now in our 15th year, we have the opportunity to grow to new heights. We invite you to become a part of our team as we “Give a Weekend, Save a Life,” and help the kids of our community.

History

Dance Marathon was started in 1973 by the Penn State University’s Interfraternity Council, and in its first year, more than $2000 was raised, with 39 couples dancing for 30 hours straight. The money raised was donated to the Butler County Association of Retarded Citizens. In 1977, the Marathon was changed to a 48-hour event and became an annual benefit for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center. In 1990, Indiana University held their own Dance Marathon. All the funds raised from the Indiana University Dance Marathon are donated to
Riley Hospital for Children in order to establish the Ryan White Infectious Disease Center.

In 1995, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) developed its own Dance Marathon program to emulate the events at other university campuses. The first year of the program, four schools participated and raised a total of $142,000 for children treated at CMN affiliated hospitals. Six more schools were added to the program the following year, raising $300,000.

Today across the nation, over 80 schools hold Dance Marathons to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. To date the Dance Marathon program raised over $2 million for CMN hospitals.