Months ago Sarah Forte saw the $750 total money requirement for Dance Marathon dancers as a daunting task.
She canned in Skokie a half-dozen times. She received $100 from Bobb Hall’s philanthropy funds. She even wrote letters to family and friends. But Forte and her DM partner finally reached the required amount when her father told her one of his coworkers had an autistic son. Because DM’s primary beneficiary is Have Dreams, an organization for autistic children, her father’s coworkers donated enough money to put Forte and her partner at $750.
After turning in the money yesterday, Forte said she was surprised to say she enjoyed the process, in spite of its difficulties.
“I liked canning,” said Forte, a Medill sophomore and a DM dancer for Kappa Delta sorority. “You meet interesting people and get interesting things. Someone gave me a stick of gum, and some of my friends were given phone numbers.”
Forte’s next step is preparing costumes for the 10 different themes DM has planned for the marathon, including an outfit appropriate for the 1980s.
DM executive board members said students have been working hard all quarter to raise the money.
“I’ve been really excited by how excited the dancers have been this year,” said Justin Ballheim, a DM executive co-chairman and a Medill senior. “This is a great sign in itself.”
DM organizers declined to say how many students failed to make Wednesday’s deadline.
In addition to the required $750 amount, dancers this year were also encouraged to complete the “30-by-30 Challenge,” a new program suggesting that DM dancers raise $900 per couple. Executives created the challenge this year to celebrate the event’s 30th anniversary and to honor alumni who participated in previous DMs. Dancers who succeed receive special benefits and get public recognition in front of the 500 dancers.
“Just from word of mouth,” Ballheim said, “people seemed really excited by the challenge.”
This year dancers were also requested to fulfill a service requirement. The new policy asked students to participate in a philanthropy for three hours so they have a greater connection with charitable organizations, most notably Have Dreams.
Last year’s grand total was about $452,000, an amount composed of every dancer’s income as well as money raised from the corporate and special events committees.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to unite the campus, educate the community about autism and expose dancers to a huge array of volunteer opportunities in the community,” Ballheim said.
Even though a major task has now been completed and the bulk of the money raised, Ballheim said he has yet to do much of the planning, including organizing the event itself.
“We still have a lot left to do,” Ballheim said. “But everything has been going just really, really well.”
