By Henry Zhu
<[email protected]>

As the school prepares for its annual Dance Marathon tomorrow, senior Lauren Wiegand said she is both excited and a little saddened by the prospect of attending her last fundraiser for Riley Children’s Hospital.

“I’ve been doing Dance Marathon since a friend recruited me as a freshman, and I’ve loved it since the beginning,” Wiegand said. “I’ve seen Dance Marathon grow and change throughout the years, and it’s a little sad that this Dance Marathon is my last.”

According to Speaker of the House David Chiang, this year’s Cabinet has tried to encourage student participation in Dance Marathon with new events dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the cause.

“We’ve added new events like ‘Smoothie Smashdown’ last semester and some new restaurant fundraisers this semester to give students more opportunities to contribute to Riley,” Chiang said. “However, Dance Marathon is about more than the fundraisers—it’s about helping the kids at Riley who can’t do many of the things we take for granted; simply put, it’s about dancing for the kids that can’t.”

House of Representatives sponsor Sarah Wolff said that, though Dance Marathon has undergone small changes throughout the years, the event remains true to its original goals. Wolff said the actual day of Dance Marathon will include six hours of group activities, entertainment and inspirational speakers connected to Riley Children’s Hospital. The total funds raised this year will be revealed at the end of the night, and students can still turn in any last minute funds both today during SRT and tomorrow right before the event begins.

“Though the donations and the fundraisers are a part of Dance Marathon, it’s important for students to remember that this event is about far more than six hours and one day and raising money for Riley,” Wolff said via email. “At its heart, Dance Marathon is about walking away knowing that you made someone else’s life easier for a day, or maybe even a second, and not needing to see them stand in front of you or know their name or hear them thank you to know that you helped them in some way.”

Wiegand, who has been part of Cabinet for the past two years, said her love of Dance Marathon and its goals encouraged her to get more involved with the event. From her first time participating as a freshman to organizing the event as a Cabinet member, Wiegand said her involvement in Dance Marathon has strongly impacted her high school experience.

“When I first did Dance Marathon, I was a little intimidated by how many people there were at first, but seeing all those kids together doing something for people they didn’t even know inspired me to get involved with Dance Marathon as much as I could,” Wiegand said. “For anybody doing Dance Marathon for the first time, I would tell them to just have fun and remember the great cause that we’re all here for. You don’t have to be a good dancer or be personally connected with Riley to enjoy the event—I’m not either of those things, and Dance Marathon’s one of my favorite things about this school.”