Last year, Maclay Dance Marathon amassed $103,442.57 and has been inspired to raise even more money this school year for Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. The biggest fundraiser of the fall, Statement Day, was held on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. It helped the Maclay Dance Marathon get one step closer to its goal for the entire year. For 26.2 hours, students at Maclay were trying to raise as much money as possible, in honor of this year’s Statement Day theme, prematurity. At the end of the 26.2 hours, the Maclay Dance Marathon executive board announced the amount of money raised: $21,735.69.
“My favorite part [about Dance Marathon] is just how rewarding it is,” executive director Kate Bulloch said. “Getting everyone to come together through different fundraising events and activities is so awesome. And it is great to see such a great outcome for such a great cause.”
There has been a Statement Day every year since the inception of Dance Marathon at both FSU and Maclay. To get students involved and excited about raising money, there are incentives students can win depending on how much money they raise. For example, students could get a Dance Marathon pin for raising $150, a Dance Marathon sticker for raising $350, a Dance Marathon shirt for raising $500 and finally, students can get a comma club shirt at the marathon for raising $1,000. On top of the prizes students can get, there are also fun superlatives, such as most spirited, most creative fundraising and top fundraiser.
“I felt really good about it [Statement Day],” middle school chair Sarah Fernandez said. “We really pushed hard and I think we were really rewarded with our end goal. Definitely the best part about Dance Marathon is being able to have fun with my friends while doing something good for charity.”
Finally, after a long 26.2 hours, the fundraising for Statement Day ended, and the executive board could present how much money everyone in the Maclay Dance Marathon helped collect. The executive board proudly stood in line with a number in their hand and slowly revealed the amount raised for Statement Day which resulted in $21,735.69.
“The girls this year are extremely enthusiastic and care a lot about the cause,” Maclay Dance Marathon sponsor Julie Obrecht said. “Even though I wasn’t involved in the actual fundraising, the girls revealed how much they raised and it was exciting.”
