By Brittany Lauro | Co-Editor in Chief
Salve’s second annual Dance Marathon, to be held March 28 through March 29 in Ochre Court, will benefit Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
Last year’s event, the first dance marathon ever to be held at Salve Regina, was also the first marathon in Rhode Island to benefit Hasbro Children’s Hospital. With 50 attendees, the event raised just under $15,000 for general hospital improvements.
“Last year’s dance marathon was one of the best experiences of my life,” explains Caroline Chenard, co-chair for this year’s dance marathon. “Yes we were all tired, and yes our feet hurt. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was knowing that what we had been through for those 18 hours was only a small part of what children at Hasbro go through everyday fighting for their lives. What mattered was knowing that we were able to do something for those kids to hopefully make their lives a little bit better.”
This year, with the help of 100 anticipated attendees, Caroline and her co-chair, Corilyn Henault, hope to surpass last year’s numbers and raise over $15,000, which will then go towards renovating a family room within the hospital. Here, families can relax, cook meals and even do laundry during their stay. The girls and their committee have been hard at work since the summer contacting local businesses for raffle prizes and food in additional to monetary donations to be donated to the hospital. Thus far, the committee has acquired four one-day park hopper passes to Disney World, a signed Vince Wilfork football from the New England patriots, in addition to a host of other prizes.
But the marathon offers more than just dancing and prizes to its attendees. “By committing to the event students will pledge to stand on their feet for 18 hours. But they will also be signing up for a night of fun and inspiration,” explains Chenard. Every two hours, the theme, including the accompanying music and activities, will change in order to keep participants motivated and alert. This year’s themes include but are not limited to Disney, holidays, movies, and 90’s sing-along.
The committee has also planned for families from Hasbro Children’s Hospital to attend the event and speak on their experiences, as well as a patient of the hospital who will participate for all 18 hours. Nick Friend, 14 years old, will attend the event and share in the experience with the other attendees.
In addition to garnering donations, the committee has also reached out to those directly affected. “We have been working with Hasbro Children’s hospital to get families to come participate in our event and speak about how our money will help the hospital,” explains Chenard.
Though they have come a long way, the committee still faces challenges. While they hope to raise as much money as possible to benefit those in need at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the event essentially depends on the dancers, not the dollars.
“We want everyone at Salve to get to experience the magic that we felt at our event last year knowing that we were really making a difference and giving hope to those kids who need something good in their lives,” says Chenard.
Those interested in participating can sign up to do so or donate by following the link below http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1633
Participants can sign up as an individual or get a group of friends/club/sports team together and sign up as a team.
The individual and/or team that raises the most money will receive a prize.
Like Salve Dance Marathon on Facebook for more information and updates about the event
