April 3, 2017
Dance Marathon Page 2
Dance Marathon makes U. history by raising over $1M Chloe Dopico, Kira Herzog, Stephen Weiss staff writers
As 9 p.m. approached, the crowd of dancers quieted and a group of organizers took the stage to close off the 27-hour Dance Marathon to reveal a historical moment — for the first time in its 19-year history, the event’s total fundraising surpassed $1 million. Minutes before the final reveal, the central planning team gave their final remarks. This year, nearly twice as many team captains participated in Dance Marathon. The team captains act as liaisons between the kids and the organizations, and participate in the RU4Kids program, said Shannon Chang, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “One of the greatest accomplishments of Dance Marathon has been the creation and growth of the RU4Kids program,” Chang said. “This year we have 76 different patient children paired with 70 different fraternities, sororities and student organizations. In addition to the dollars we raise each year, it is the time spent with patients and their families that makes the biggest impact.” Dance Marathon is the largest student fundraising event in New Jersey and each participant donates a minimum of $350, said Damon Namin, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. Over 75 percent of student fundraisers surpass the minimum donation. Participants often raise money through activities like canning and bake sales. To can for money, a student receives a permit from the store to solicit money in front of it, Namin said. Many students are able to raise anywhere between $100 and $200 from canning alone. “We have a lot of fundraisers this year that are above $1,000,” Namin said. “I’m personally at $3,400. Our top fundraiser is
On Saturday night, two rows of students lined up to reveal the final total raised by Dance Marathon. For the first time in the event’s 19 year history, students managed to raise more than $1 million for the Embrace Kids Foundation. JEFFREY GOMEZ / PHOTO EDITOR above $10,000. People really go above and beyond. Obviously, some people just want to be here for the event because it is such a fun amazing event, and they’ll just do the minimum. That’s fine, because $350 is a lot of money, especially for a college kid. But a lot of people do go above and beyond because they really do care about the cause.” Many of the children who were present at this year’s Dance Marathon had connections to sororities and fraternities on campus through RU4Kids. Organizations participating in Dance Marathon are assigned a child to support through the Embrace Kids Foundation, which fundraises for children affected by cancer and blood disorders, according to the organization’s
site. The organizations visit the children in hospitals, host birthday parties for the kids or simply provide the children with support
“Rutgers breaking $1 million is incredible. That’s credit to everyone that goes to Rutgers University, this place is beautiful.” Jimmy hogan School of Arts and Sciences Senior
while they undergo treatment. “Rutgers University Dance Marathon is such an amazing event that means a lot to those participating, but more
importantly to the families. As RU4Kids liaison for my sorority, Sigma Kappa, it is amazing seeing the kids we support at DM having the time of their lives. They make me see how the pain of standing so many hours is nothing compared to what these children go through every day. Breaking $1 million was just the icing on the cake of such a life-changing event,” said Dani Blumenthal, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. For Dance Marathon, the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) transformed into a dance floor, with the court typically used for basketball, wrestling and gymnastics donned with mats, and a stage at the head of the arena. Behind the stage, there was a game center with arcade games,
life-sized Jenga and Connect Four, and popular board games like Monopoly. On the other side of the RAC, there was a cafeteria-like set-up, where dancers could refuel with provided food. Multiple performers took the stage at different intervals, and organizers also hosted rave hour and Zumba night to keep dancers energized and motivated. At one point, the Athletics Department held their annual danceoff, where teams including football, wrestling and women’s volleyball took the stage to compete. “Rutgers breaking $1 million is incredible,” said Jimmy Hogan, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and Rutgers football player. “That’s credit to everyone that goes to Rutgers University, this place is beautiful.”
After receiving help from Embrace Kids, student raises $3K for RUDM Chloe Dopico associate news editor
When Jonathan Walker was 15, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. During his first hospital stay at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, he was approached by the Embrace Kids Foundation, where he became involved with the organization. Five years later, Walker, now fully recovered, attends Rutgers as a student and participates in Dance Marathon yearly for a very personal reason. The School of Engineering junior said he turned 16 one week after his cancer diagnosis, and Embrace Kids threw him a birthday party, which started the relationship. When the RU4Kids program started, he was sponsored by a fraternity on campus.
“I think Embrace Kids and Robert Wood Johnson is a big part of the reason that I came to Rutgers. I was diagnosed sophomore summer, chemo was junior year. In high school, junior year is your most important year. That’s when you’re going on college visits, taking the SATs, and I missed out on that … I didn’t visit any colleges so it was like, ya know, I really don’t want to leave my hospital that diagnosed me and is taking care of me, and Rutgers seemed like a pretty good option, so I looked into Rutgers and they had a pretty good engineering program,” Walker said. “So the fact that one, Rutgers was close to home, two, Embrace Kids was at Rutgers and three, they had a great engineering program, so I came to Rutgers.” Walker said that although he was independent beforehand,
coming to Rutgers made him more independent because he was able to walk to Robert Wood Johnson for his clinic appointments, as opposed to driving 45 minutes from home. His first year participating in Dance Marathon as a student, he danced with his residence hall and ended the event by raising $3,000 single-handedly. Theta Tau, Walker’s fraternity, sponsors a child through the Embrace Kids foundation, and Walker said he feels a special connection with not only him, but the other children in the foundation. “It’s so good to talk to his parents because them seeing me at where I am now, I guess it takes a lot of stress off them and makes them feel better because they know there’s good stuff that can come from this,” Walker said. Walker said watching the community come together and the en-
Jonathan Walker was diagnosed with leukemia five years ago and was helped by the Embrace Kids Foundation. Now, as a student, he gives back through RUDM. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
tire experience is humbling. He said Dance Marathon offsets the stereotype of fraternities and sororities, as they come out to help kids they do not even know. “I would say (watching them reveal the total) is hard
to put into words … right now, I’m fine, I can talk about it with no emotion. But when those numbers go up, I can’t tell you how I feel. Just imagine ‘wow,’ but throughout your body,” Walker said.
Dance Marathon Page 3
April 3, 2017
Chi Psi defends title as highest raising fraternity Chloe Dopico associate news editor
This year, the Chi Psi fraternity collected a total of $54,563 in donations for the Embrace Kids Foundation, making them the highest earning greek life organization on campus. They had a total of 45 dancers participate in this year’s event. TWITTER
For 13 years in a row, the Chi Psi fraternity has raised the most money out of all of the Rutgers University Interfraternity Council. This year was no different. Chi Psi raised over $54,563, said Chi Psi President Conor O’Brien. The fraternity also had 45 dancers, three assistant directors, five captains and three volunteers representing the chapter at Dance Marathon. “All of our philanthropic efforts throughout the whole year go to RUDM. From the beginning of the school year until April, we go canning on street corners and table in front of our house as much as possible. We also spread our donation links around on social media constantly throughout the year. Raising money for DM is a constant theme all year and we are always thinking of more ways to raise money for the kids,” he said. O’Brien said the fraternity had set their goal for the year at $50,000 and that the entire fraternity was elated to know they surpassed it. He said the fraternity strives to raise as much money as possible for Dance Marathon and the Embrace Kids Foundation every year because they know first hand
how great of an impact it has on the kids. They participate in the RU4Kids Program, so they see just who the money is benefitting. “Our two current RU4Kids are named Ian and Mason and they motivate us greatly. When they come over our house or when we visit them in the hospital, it pushes us to do more,” he said. Another reason the chapter was extra motivated this year was because of the passing last year of one of Chi Psi’s sponsored RU4Kid, Taylor Barta, O’Brien said. “Taylor was and still is our little brother and we are always thinking about him whenever we do anything for Dance Marathon and Embrace Kids. The Barta’s will forever be a part of the Chi Psi family,” he said. One of Chi Psi’s members was also the highest individual raiser. Phi Sigma Sigma was the highest raising sorority from the Panhellenic Council, raising $60,826. “It is truly a milestone for RUDM to hit $1 million. We all know how hard the central planning team worked towards this goal and to see it come to fruition is amazing. The Embrace Kids Foundation will be able to help so many kids as a result of this terrific fundraising effort by the whole Rutgers community,” he said.
Wares attends DM in remission for 1st time Stephen Weiss
Ware said that although Kiana is in remission, her family will not stop promoting and supportTwo years ago the Alpha Zeta ing Embrace Kids. “(Someone was) asking me Omega fraternity was paired with Kiana Wares, a young girl if I was done with Embrace Kids diagnosed with cancer. Since and I said, ‘I am not done with then, Kiana has entered remis- Embrace Kids until they kick me out of here.’ Embrace Kids is sion and is cancer free. Marcia Wares, Kiana’s sewn to my heart. The day that mother, said that she is forever I die, close my eyes, that will be thankful for the support Alpha the day that I won’t be able to Zeta Omega and Embrace Kids thank Embrace Kids anymore. Kiana’s father, Joe Wares, Foundation has given her and said that seeing so many people her family. willing to help “They’re others, gives just here to people in need pour out their “Embrace Kids is sewn a feeling like heart and soul no other. to dance for to my heart. The day “It’s kind the kids. For that I die, close my eyes, of hard to us it’s amazthat will be the day that explain, it ing, as a parI won’t be able to thank just fills you ent of a child who is batEmbrace Kids anymore.” with something that tling cancer to you know that see how they marcia wares as a whole, do things for, Mother of Kiana Wares ever ybody’s in this case, t o g e t h e r, ” for my daughhe said. “I don’t know anybody ter,” she said. Wares said that when her here, but everybody knows us. family attended Dance Mara- Everybody does what they can thon last year, Kiana was still how they can do it and it speaks undergoing her treatment and volumes for a person going through something to see someweighed only 50 pounds. “When we came here she body say, ‘do you want to know was, like, you know, bones,” she something, I can take a day, two said. “She just kept dancing. And days out of my time, to help out you know, she wasn’t 100 per- somebody else.’” Lina Oh, an Ernest Mario cent, but she put her heart and soul out 110 percent. Now that School of Pharmacy fourth-year she’s better, it’s amazing to see student, is a member of Alpha Zeta Omega and has known her face and dancing.” associate news editor
Two years ago when she attended Dance Marathon, Kiana Wares was partnered with Alpha Zeta Omega. Now, Wares has gone into remission and attended the event cancer-free for the first time. JEFFREY GOMEZ / PHOTO EDITOR Kiana since she was paired with the organization. Oh said that the child her fraternity previously sponsored was now entering college, so Embrace Kids connected them with Kiana at the perfect time. Since they were paired with Kiana, members of the organization have visited Kiana every time she goes to the clinic, bringing treats and gifts along with them. Oh is in pharmacy school, so she said she is aware of what happens with these diseases, but
that she was caught off guard when first meeting Kiana. “I didn’t know that the progression was like that fast,” she said. “I think when I saw her was around January, but then she was only diagnosed like right before Christmas. But when I first saw her at the clinic she had literally lost her hair, you know.” Oh said that this year was her third time attending Dance Marathon on behalf of her organization. “Some people around me say, like, ‘oh yeah, what’s your point in like standing up for 12 hours,
why are you torturing yourself,’ but you know, it’s nice for these kids,” she said. The massive support the children and their families receive really helps them get through their tough times, Oh said. “For us or for other people who are not the patients or their family, it might just be another event that these student organizations are doing, but for them to have hundreds of people supporting them (is great), and it’s fun for them too,” she said.
Moving forward: How to maintain momentum from Dance Marathon Brittany Gibson features editor
The 27 hours of consistent dancing, standing and supporting others that make up Dance Marathon (DM) creates an atmosphere of pure energy. Dance Marathon happens right in the thick of the semester, yet the organizers manage to fabricate a surplus of enthusiasm in the Rutgers Athletic Center with a few simple tricks that you can use to get through the rest of the semester. Whether you were a dancer in this record-breaking year or just a spectator, everyone can benefit from some DM-inspired motivation tips.
Move to Motivation
Although Dance Marathon had a lot more going on than just dancing, when a DJ, live band or student group was playing “a jam,” everyone was visibly more motivated to get moving. In your post-DM life, you can use music to encourage that same
enthusiasm. Whether that means a string of 90s throwbacks, classic Queen Bee singles or the latest hip-hop tunes, don’t underestimate the power of music to get you moving from class to class. And if you’re looking for inspiration, there are always playlists ready on the “TargumInsideBeat” Spotify account.
Make Time for Meals
We’re all guilty of skipping a meal here and there — you get busy, forget to pack a snack or get stuck in a day full of backto-back commitments. But if the organizers of one of the biggest fundraising events of the year can remember to schedule some refueling time, then it can definitely get worked into your schedule. DM ser ved meals to dancers on a regular schedule and had snacks available at all times because whether you’re dancing all day or studying all night you need to make time to replenish. You can tr y planning your meal times in advance and keep
snacks readily available to tr y and replicate DM.
Remember your goals
Periodically the DM organizers would ask everyone to turn their attention to the large screen suspended from the ceiling to watch short videos about the families being helped, the ways people had fundraised and organized for months prior and last year’s DM success. Each of these videos specially made for the event served as a reminder of why everyone gave up 24 hours of their weekends’ studying, sleeping or socializing and kept everyone focused on their shared goal. You can’t have a giant screen to remind you of your personal goals, but you can create other reminders. You can vocalize your aspirations or visualize them on a dream board, so in moments when you lose motivation, you can refocus. Stay passionate about the causes that matter to you and take time out of your day to make a difference in other people’s lives.
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