Dance Marathons, From Coast to Coast
Posted by
Rachel Hinger
Washington, D.C.
April 6, 2011
As summertime looms on the horizon for colleges around the country, Dance Marathon season also starts to wrap up here at the Foundation. Dance Marathons are fundraisers sponsored by individual schools in partnership with the Foundation, all to raise money for the elimination of pediatric AIDS worldwide.
While this year’s Dance Marathons have all been impressive, last weekend was a special bi-coastal celebration.
The UC-Berkeley Dr. Seuss-themed Dance Marathon got
underway on April Fools Day. (Photo: EGPAF)
On the West Coast, the Golden Bears of UC-Berkeley started their
12-hour Dr. Seuss-themed Dance Marathon on April Fool’s Day. Plenty of students arrived in costume, and there was always a Thing 1 or Thing 2 – or even a Thing 10 – in sight, as well as a Cat in the Hat or two.
The event began with a performance from the University of California Marching Band, along with the Cal Dance Team and a special appearance by Oski, the school’s mascot.
Foundation Ambassador Cristina Pena shared her personal story of growing up with HIV with the 1,300 assembled dancers, and emphasized the importance of advocacy and education in stopping the epidemic at home and abroad.
Throughout the night, dancers were treated to amazing food, spectacular performances, and educational HIV/AIDS activities. This year Berkeley DM was able to raise over $53,000 to support the Foundation.
Jake Glaser (right) spoke to dancers at the
Boston University Dance Marathon. (Photo: EGPAF)
On the East Coast, just a few hours after Berkeley dancers were finally able to sit down, Boston University launched their
ninth Dance Marathon – 18 hours of dancing around the world. Throughout the day and night, everyone “traveled” to Bollywood, Polynesia, Disney World, and even on an African safari, without ever leaving campus.
Students also heard from Foundation Ambassadors Lucas and Lee Courtney about their lives as HIV-positive kids.
And this year, Jake Glaser closed BUDM by sharing his gratitude for the more than $25,000 the students raised to benefit the Foundation and
OneHeartland, a camp for HIV-positive children.
As this season of Dance Marathons winds down, we’re once again impressed with everyone’s dedication to creating a global generation free of HIV. And we can’t wait for the amazing things students from across the country are planning for next year.
To check out photos from all of this year’s Dance Marathons,
click here.
To learn more about how you can start your own Dance Marathon,
click here.
Rachel Hinger is a Development Coordinator for the Foundation in Washington, D.C., and travels throughout the country helping with university Dance Marathons – all to benefit the Foundation and its mission of eliminating pediatric HIV/AIDS.