Dancers support Riley Hospital
By JP Sinclair
Staff Writer
Circle K, in conjunction with Campus Program Board, sponsored the inaugural Riley Dance Marathon on April 12 in the Schwitzer Student Center. The event blended music, dancing, games, food and a variety of entertainment to help raise funds for Riley Hospital for Children. The marathon was the finale of Community Service Week.
“It [the event] benefits Riley Children’s Foundation and Riley Hospital for Children,” said CPB Welcome Events Chair Heather Larsen.
The event cost $10 per person, which included a T-shirt, food and entertainment.
“[Dance Marathons] are happening all over the state of Indiana,” Larsen said. “UIndy is one school that wasn’t doing it. It’s charitable and fun.”
The only thing that CPB and Circle K requested was that each person raise at least $15 in donations to benefit the kids at Riley Hospital.
The dancing started at noon on Saturday, April 12, and went until midnight. Cassie Yowell, a spokeswoman from Riley Children’s Foundation, kicked off the event by thanking everyone for coming and shared her own experiences from working with Riley Hospital. The first hour featured Landon Keller, an acoustic guitar performer, followed by The Merecats, with UIndy junior Sarah Nichols at lead vocals.
Participants learned how to swing dance as Naptown Stomp, a classic swing dance instruction corporation, taught a couple swing dances. Sophomore Julia Spangler from Circle K created a “morale” dance to keep spirits high with many famous dance songs ranging from “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers to “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.
Former Riley Hospital patients also participated in the events. Riley Lesh, a Riley survivor, was a premature baby named after the hospital that saved her life. UIndy sophomore Ben Church also had a Riley Hospital survivor story to tell about his battle with asthma. Church said that with the help of Riley Hospital, he conquered his illness and no longer faces problems.
Although there was not a lot of student participation, a good deal of money was raised.
“I think there were a couple reasons why [there was a low turnout]. It’s a new event, and no one really knows what it is. Most people don’t know what Riley Hospital is if they aren’t from Indiana,” Larsen said. “Another thing is that it’s Saturday, and people don’t want to be here from 12 to 12 for a good cause.”
Thirty people showed up for the event, including loyal swing dance club members and a handful of people who gave up their Saturday to support the cause.
Despite the low turnout, the dance marathon raised $2,272 for Riley Hospital.
The motto for the day was “Dance because you can, stand because they can’t.” The rules for the event were that participants had to stay for the whole event.
“Our goal for this year was to make it happen,” Larsen said, “But we had overwhelming support from all the people who were involved.”
