2011 Dance Marathon Season Begins!
Posted by
Rachel Hinger
Washington, D.C.
January 27, 2011
Every year at universities around the country students come together to participate in dance marathons. Some dance for 12 hours, others dance for as many as 26. But while the amount of hours may differ, their motivation does not. They dance to save lives.
The amount of time each dancer pledges to stay on their feet is meant to represent the emotional and physical challenges faced by children living with HIV, all while raising funds to support the Foundation’s work around the world.
For the student-participants on campuses around the country, Dance Marathon is a year-round effort to engage, empower, and unite their peers to help the Foundation eliminate pediatric AIDS and create a generation free of HIV.
UCLA 2010 Dance Marathon (Photo: Stephen Sun)
The 2011 Dance Marathon season kicks off on Friday, January 28 as students at American University in Washington, D.C., and Columbia University in New York City take to the dance floor for a total of 24 hours. A few short weeks later, more than 1,600 students at UCLA will embark on their own 26-hour marathon. UCLA’s Dance Marathon, in its 10th year, is the largest student-organized philanthropic event on the West Coast.
In the weeks and months following UCLA, students at Baldwin-Wallace College in Cleveland, University of California - Berkeley, NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, and Boston University, will host marathons of their own.
We’ll bring you updates and stories about all of the 2011 Dance Marathons as events unfold. Please check back on the blog in the coming weeks and months to hear more about the students involved and how their efforts are making a difference in the fight to eliminate pediatric AIDS around the world.
In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the different marathons, or make a donation to any of them, click here.
Rachel Hinger is a Development Associate at the Foundation, based in Washington, D.C.