DANCE MARATHON : A VIRTUAL SUCCESS
For more than two years , FSU students have embraced the challenge of holding Dance Marathon and the associated , year-round fundraising elements amid the uncertainty of a worldwide pandemic .
In 2021 , they went hybrid , staging online gatherings and “ dance in place ” components everywhere from parking lots to the front lawns of sorority row . The largest student-led fundraiser on the FSU campus returned to its natural element at the Donald Tucker Civic Center for 2022 .
The result ? More than 1,800 students raised nearly $ 1.5 million in 2021 and followed by exceeding that total in 2022 .
“ More than $ 3 million raised over two years during the associated restrictions of a pandemic . It ’ s truly amazing ,” said College of Medicine Dean John P . Fogarty .
The funds go to the UF Health Shands Children ’ s Hospital , which is the affiliated Children ’ s Miracle Network Hospital for the North Florida region .
About half of the total comes back to the FSU College of Medicine to be invested in pediatric services benefiting children in and around Tallahassee .
Not only did the participants adhere to CDC and Florida State University social distance and mask guidelines , but in 2021 endured a mid-event overhaul of the schedule due to torrential rain .
“ We wanted to keep the traditions that make Dance Marathon at FSU what it is , but we also knew that it was important to create new and creative ways to reach people that we may not have been able to reach if we were inside the [ Tucker ] Center all weekend ,” said Madison Faller , the 2021 executive director . “ Raising awareness for the cause was kept at the forefront .”
Participating organizations – fraternities , sororities , clubs , etc . – hosted marathons at either their own or rented venues , where organizers provided Zoom programming with live entertainment , DJs and inspiring stories from participating Miracle
Families . There was a drive-in “ Carchella ” event in the Tucker Center parking lot and blocks of time were reserved for organizations to gather , masked and socially distanced , at intramural fields adjacent to CollegeTown , where they danced to live entertainment .
The marathon continued through the night and culminated with a return to the Tucker Center parking lot for closing ceremonies and a late Sunday afternoon drive-in reveal of the final total amount raised .
In 2022 , Dance Marathon at FSU was back indoors for the first time in two years and with a theme of “ No Matter What ,” raised $ 1.55 million .
The funds support the College of Medicine ’ s school-based primary care clinic in Gadsden County , pediatric care provided at FSU PrimaryHealth and the pediatric intensive care unit at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare , among other projects .
500 / 1,000 | Florida State University College of Medicine | 2022 Annual Report | Thanks to our supporters 55