A Day in The Life of DM at FSU’s Executive Board

What makes Dance Marathon at FSU so special is the fact it is a completely student-run organization. Every event, fundraising push, and annual marathon would not be possible without our internal team of students, including our Management and Executive Board. With 2020 being a year of change, we decided to go behind the scenes to find out what it’s like to lead DM at FSU during the biggest fundraising push of the Fall semester: Florida Statement.

Florida Statement is a 26.2 hour-long fundraising push that takes place every year during the Fall. This year, Dance Marathon at FSU challenged ourselves to raise $424,000 in honor of the 424 children from Leon and surrounding counties who were treated at UF Health Shands Hospital last year. This year being extremely different than past years, our Executive Board actually met for the first time on campus during Florida Statement. When asked what Statement means to her, Jamison Lake, the Engagement Chair, said, "Statement is a time for everyone to unite and come together for the first time in the school year. It is a time when we do our best because the reveal, in the end, makes everything worth it." She mentioned that creating external events during this time has been difficult while trying to follow University and CDC guidelines. Her goal was to make Statement as safe and inclusive as possible while developing new and innovative ways to engage online.

Each Chair leads a group of Coordinators & Captains within their teams. This group of students is extremely committed as they attend weekly Executive Board meetings, weekly team meetings, weekly one on one meetings with their directors and advisors, and monthly All Team meetings. Not to mention, fundraising for Dance Marathon all the while. When asked what his responsibilities as the Morale Chair during Statement look like, Jon Peterson (JP) answered, "Tracking attendance of my captains, organizing and planning our weekly meetings, creating PowerPoints, and finding incentive ideas for my captains to fundraise even more." As leaders, they must define clear expectations of their captains, communicate properly, and develop a personal relationship with the members. All of these culminating in the largest single-day fundraising push of the year: Florida Statement.

Eva Colee’s job as the Merchandise Chair is to make sure all of the merchandise is transferred from storage and ready to be distributed during Statement. Her team is responsible for making all of the clothing designs and selling them to promote exposure. When asked about her favorite part of Statement, Eva said, “When you're exhausted by the end of Statement, or your feet want to fall off in the last two hours of the marathon, you push through because you know your hard work will pay off and you will get to see those numbers go up in the end."

Our DM at FSU 2021 Executive Board has proven that despite every challenge they have faced, they will fight Against All Odds to lead this organization to new heights this year. Our 2020 Florida Statement was made by raising $400,595 in 26.2 For The Kids.

“In a moment like this, I could not be more proud of this movement and the people who make it come to life. The unwavering resilience and energy from our participants throughout Florida Statement was nothing short of inspiring. Thank you to every donor, fundraiser, INL, alumni, Captain, Coordinator, Delegate, and Executive Board member. There will truly never be adequate words to express our gratitude for all that you’ve done and will continue to do for our kids, our families, and our community. In a time when the world feels like it’s standing still, you have decided to change it. Thank you for embracing this movement wholeheartedly, and making your statement, Against All Odds.” -Madison Faller, Executive Director 2020