The event, which will run from 10 p.m. Friday, April 1, to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2, is Marshall’s most successful, student organization-led fundraiser to date with more than $36,000 raised last year for Hoops Family Children’s Hospital at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
“We try to take the strain off of families and any kind of financial needs they might have—little or big,” said Victoria Perri, an adviser to the event. “With the money raised last year, the hospital was able to purchase a special needs toy called a VECTA machine and video game station for the cancer clinic, as well as provide patients with something as small as French fries.”
Perri said donations this year haven’t yet exceeded last year’s earnings, but she said she remains hopeful.
At the top of each hour, participants perform a 12-minute line dance they learn at the beginning of the marathon. Each hour has a different theme, for instance a Rave hour and a Disney hour, and activities are planned to help the marathon pass by quickly. Participants are fed small meals every 4 hours to keep up energy levels. The community is invited to check out the event from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday.
“The marathon is a way for students to ‘dance all night for the kids who fight,’” Perri said. “If we can ease any bit of what’s happening in these patients’ lives, it’s so worth it.”
Scott Studeny and Michelle Studeny, a brother and sister duo who grew up in Huntington, brought the THUNDER Dance Marathon to Marshall. Scott is a 3rd-year pediatric resident and Michelle is a 3rd-year medical student at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, with goals to specialize in pediatrics and internal medicine, respectively.
“We hope Thunder will be the bridge between the community and campus,” Perri said.
Anyone can donate to the cause until 7 a.m. Saturday, April 2, by visiting www.thunderdancemarathon.org and clicking the “Donate” tab.
————–
Photo: Last year’s THUNDER Dance Marathon, a Marshall University student-led fundraiser for Hoops Family Children’s Hospital, raised more than $36,000 for the hospital. This year’s event will take place from 10 p.m. Friday, April 1, to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2.