Students dance 'for the kids'

Friday, February 24, 2012

By Stephanie Taylor

Oklahoma State University students raised more than $37,500 during the first annual Dance Marathon at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center last Saturday.  The event, led by Camille Thompson, public relations senior, and Jeremiah Lane, sportsmedia junior, was a 10-hour dance-a-thon where students stayed on their feet the entire night to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) patients in Oklahoma City.

The average first year Dance Marathon raises between $10,000-$20,000 for their Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, said Linzy Hall, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Senior Development Officer, Children’s Foundation.
“OSU hit it out of the ballpark with $37,500 for Children’s Hospital Foundation,” Hall said.

The mission of the dance marathon can be stated in three words, “for the kids.” The purpose of the OSU dance marathon is to create an organization of students and community members that will provide hope for Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City by generating funds for CMN and its efforts to treat all of its patients, regardless of financial concerns.

“We wanted to bring this to OSU to get students involved with kids right here in Oklahoma and make a difference,” Thompson said. “We knew it would be an incredible opportunity at OSU and something that would last for a long time.”

The annual event is held at more than 150 universities nationwide.

The event included performances by different campus organizations and special guests included President Burns Hargis and First Cowgirl Ann Hargis, Justin Blackmon and Miss OSU Aly Akers.