Sam Watts (rear) and Libby Jefferis cheer during the IU Dance Marathon Saturday. The annual event attracts thousands of participants and is a fundraiser for Riley Hospital for Children. Staff photo by David Snodgress
Raises record $3.8 million
This past weekend’s Indiana University Dance Marathon raised a record $3.8 million to benefit kids at Riley Hospital for Children. In its 25th year, the 36-hour marathon had a record 4,000 students and other participants who danced in the Tennis Center on Fee Lane. IUDM began in honor of the late Ryan White, whose name became synonymous with AIDS activism after he learned at 13 he had contracted HIV through contaminated blood transfusions in the 1980s.
Indiana University graduate Jill Waibel says when the discussion about creating the Indiana University Dance Marathon started 25 years ago, organizers had no idea it would grow into what it is today.
“IU Dance Marathon is a cause that is nothing short of amazing,” said Waibel, the event’s founder.
“The fact that college kids are able to sustain a million-dollar organization each year is truly remarkable, as this rivals many small businesses.”
What started off as an event in honor of the late Ryan White, whose name became synonymous with AIDS activism after he learned at 13 he had contracted HIV through contaminated blood transfusions in the 1980s, continues to grow as it raises funds for kids at Riley Hospital for Children.
The marathon later expanded to honor the memory of former IU student Ashley Crouse, who worked extensively with IUDM until her death in an accident in 2005.
On Saturday, 4,000 IU students and others filled the Tennis Center on Fee Lane as part of the 36-hour dance event — the largest group of participants in the marathon’s history.
IUMD Vice President Michelle Turchan said participants accept the challenge to stand and remain awake for 36 hours as a show of support for the kids at Riley who for different reasons cannot do the same. But it does not stop there, as the kids and their families visit the marathon and get to meet the students who came together to support them.
“They are treated like rock stars and superheroes,” Turchan said.
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