Dance Marathon is gearing up for its 20th year of fun and fundraising. Although the main event isn't until March 3, registration opened Wednesday alongside a week of celebratory events.
Members were out on Greene Street throughout the day registering new marathoners and promoting events. Sponsored events include a partnership with Cola Swing Night and an upcoming gala with Phi Delta Epsilon. All of the money raised at these events goes to the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital.
Second-year finance student Shannon Goff has been with the organization since her first year on campus. She believes the structure of Dance Marathon is one of its core strengths.
“It’s not a super huge time commitment which can often be kind of a struggle in college, trying to commit to too many things," she said. “You just have to email a person every now and then, raise some funds and then come out on our day of main event and just dance with your friends.”
Since its USC debut in 1999, Dance Marathon has ballooned into the largest student philanthropy organization on campus.
Over the last five years their fundraising total has nearly quadrupled, coming in at $703,289 last year. Community involvement has also increased as they've gained more exposure, resulting in increased donations.
Fourth-year public relations student Betty Lavandero, this year's director of public relations for Dance Marathon, says the rise in visibility has helped her to fundraise better on an individual level.
“So I’ve been in the organization for an ongoing four years, and I started off raising a little over 100 [dollars] and my goal is over 3,000 [dollars] this year. So it just really shows that when you stay in an organization how much you can grow," she said.
Although many students raise money on their own, others compete as a part of a team. Dance Marathon awards the Miracle Cup each year, which allows teams and organizations to compete against each other for funds raised.
But for members, the best part is how it feels to participate in Dance Marathon.
“I honestly cried my eyes out at the end of main event last year," Goff said.