Celebrating Our 31st Year

At the end of last month, Dance Marathon at FSU once again gathered in the basement of the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center for our main event. Just like every year before, the excitement and nerves regarding the next 30 hours were palpable. Having worked hard all year, our internal team was looking forward to sharing our enthusiasm with all of our external organizations.

On February 27th, DM at FSU kicked off Year 31 on "Big Red" with powerful speeches and heartwarming stories from our beneficiaries. These stories motivated us to remember that the work being done over the weekend would change lives for so many people—most of whom we may never meet, yet we show up for them anyway. After welcoming our dancers and Miracle Families, it was time for the marathon to truly begin. Our Garnet Shift, consisting of the first 10 hours of the weekend, was truly one of a kind.

When Gold Shift began the following morning, everyone in the room knew just how important these final 20 hours were going to be. With activities like basketball, line dancing, and coloring, there were plenty of ways to keep the energy up. There was no feeling quite like the one created when everyone met on Big Red to complete the line dance for the first time. As the afternoon faded into the night, we knew how important it was to keep our dancers moving. With wonderful programming from DJ L Smooth’s Boiler Room and our very own campus DJs at the silent disco, the fun was far from over.

Even in the excitement, there was never a moment when our members forgot to fundraise. Day and night, all year long, we knew there was "More To Do" for our beneficiaries. With this in mind, we kept pushing toward a milestone goal. By the time the morning of March 1st arrived, the basement of the Civic Center was alive with emotion and curiosity about just how impactful our final push had been. We shared how life-changing the weekend was during our Circle of Hope, which brought us all closer than ever before. Afterward, we finished the morning with a unifying performance from FSU’s own Marching Chiefs and a final line dance. By 1 p.m., it was time to gather one last time for the final reveal.

We are elated to announce that Year 31 of Dance Marathon at FSU surpassed our wildest dreams, raising $1,506,504.67 for UF Health Shands Children's Hospital and the FSU College of Medicine Pediatric Outreach Program.

The excitement was apparent on every face in the room. Jaws dropped and tears fell, but the joy was tremendous. As we began to release our dancers and pack up Year 31, every individual on both our internal and external teams reflected on the miracles made over the last year. It truly is incredible to see what happens when every person involved believes that the fight against pediatric illness is never finished. Rather, there will always be "More To Do" for every child and family impacted, no matter where or when.

Written By: Tenleigh Edwards-Hetzler