By Susie Chen
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Last year, hundreds of students participating in Dance Marathon gathered in the Freshman Cafeteria, where it was revealed that $129,866.31 had been raised for Riley Hospital. Around 12 percent of this donation came from corporate sponsorships.

It’s possible that the current recession negatively affect corporate donations for this year’s Dance Marathon; however, cosponsor Sarah Wolff said that at this point, it is hard to tell.

“A lot of our dancers use their corporate donations as their own individual dancer money, so we don’t see it until dancer fees are due. (The recession) could very well affect it. I don’t know at this point whether or not we will exceed last year’s goal. It’s very hard to tell,” she said.

Sophomore Rithvi Melanta, who has been on Senate since her freshman year, said that while most of the larger donations come from corporations, both corporate and student donations are important.

“Without both of them, Carmel Dance Marathon would not be as successful as it is. In order to raise more money for this worthwhile cause, student donations are essential,” she said.

Last year, 11 businesses donated to Dance Marathon, the largest donation coming from Ingersall Rand. This security technologies company donated $15,000 along a three-year donation, meaning that the company donates $5,000 a year starting from last year’s event. Some companies, however, do not donate money; rather, they donate products, such as food and drink, to supply the dancers during the six-hour dance marathon. Coca-Cola will provide the drinks this year, while Domino’s will provide the pizzas.

Although corporate donations last year accounted for $10,000 to $15,000 of the total contribution, the majority of the money came from students. Dancers must have a minimum of $75 to participate in the event, and Wolff said that it is the dedication of the students, not the support of corporate businesses, that helps contribute to the success of the event.

“We rely on kids who want to give to sustain our giving this year. If everybody asked someone they knew for money, we wouldn’t need to have corporate donations. You have to find it in yourself to go above and beyond,” she said.

Melanta said that Dance Marathon would not be as successful as it is without help from family and friends. “We stand for kids at Riley who can’t. Every year, Carmel Dance Marathon proves to be more successful than the previous year, and this year will prove to be no different,” she said.

Wolff said while it may be possible that the recession influences how many corporate donations come through this year, she said she thinks it is more likely that business sponsorships will not be affected.

She said, “Most of the companies we get are because of our personal connections through students. Some companies we lose because the students graduate, but we’ll get some new sponsors through new students.” Company donations could be affected by the recession, but Melanta said she thinks that student donations are more valuable. She said there have been more fund-raisers this year, with more students attending, because they are trying to surpass last year’s total of nearly $130,000.

“Students participate because it’s a great cause, and students can dance, eat, socialize and meet Riley patients,” she said. “It’s a great way to know that there is something so meaningful we, the students, can do to give back to our community.”