Miracle Makers put on Raiderthon every spring, making it a beloved tradition at Wright State University. The goal of this twelve-hour long dance marathon event is to raise money for Dayton Children's Hospital. Events vary slightly each year, which may leave students wondering what the 2025 Raiderthon will look like as they continue to get excited for the event.
Classic Raiderthon activities
Every year, WSU students get together and raise money for this important community event. Student organizations tend to register for it and contribute to it by participating on a team and dressing up in the color their team is assigned. Greek life organizations get very involved as well, with all chapters holding a penny war. One fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau, also has a "jail" where people can be arrested to in good fun and have to raise money to make their bail.
Ashley Greene is an organizational leadership major at WSU. She has been the President of Miracle Makers for two years, meaning she is now overseeing her second Raiderthon.
"[It has] been a really good year with leadership, members, everything. I'm really proud of the organization," Greene said.
She shared that all of their traditional events, such as the lip sync battle and silent disco, will be hosted again this year. The morale team will also appear to teach their dance at the top of every hour. And, most importantly, the miracle kids will be there to tell their stories.
Ian Pabon is one of the two morale chairs for Miracle Makers this year, meaning that he will be co-captaining the Raiderthon dance team.
"Morale is all about keeping the excitement and hype at Raiderthon! We organize a dance choreography for Raiderthon. We're a really fun group that tends to mess around and take things on a sillier manner," Pabon said.
Pabon is excited for the event. Not only will he and his friends get to show off the dance they have been working on, but he will get to see others express their creativity as well.
"What [I am] most excited for this year is the annual lip sync battle, [it is] one of my favorite activities of Raiderthon and [it is] always a blast," Pabon said.
Greene also shared that the 360-degree photo booth will be returning this year. It made its first appearance last year and was a huge success among attendees. With many popular elements returning, students who know and love Raiderthon are sure to be excited.
New things for 2025
It is important that each year, Miracle Makers keeps Raiderthon fresh. With new members and leadership coming in, it is natural to see some things evolve in positive ways that are likely to become new tradition
Eimaan Virani is a public health major with a concentration in pre-medical studies. She is a sophomore by credit, but it is her first year at WSU. She is the Vice President of Marketing for Miracle Makers and is looking forward to participating in her first Raiderthon.
"I instantly connected with their mission of supporting children's healthcare. I had a pretty sizable background in digital media and marketing, so it was the perfect opportunity to use my skills to help spread their message and make an impact. I didn't want to wait to get involved, and I'm so grateful to be part of something bigger than myself," Virani said.
Virani is already making strides to market this year's Raiderthon, and she is eager to finally get to the event.
"What I am most excited for I think [is] the reveal at the end of Raiderthon! I think [it will] be pretty amazing to see what our teams' efforts have culminated to," Virani said. "For a goal, we [have not] mentioned a specific one, but I think we are trying to beat last year's total, which was $50,128. So maybe $55,000."
"There's some other things that are happening during the event we're having; we're getting an inflatable where you can joust on it. So, there's inflatable jousting, and inflatable tug of war, which I think a lot of students are gonna have fun with that," Greene said.
The morale team and dance will have a fresh and on-trend dance, as they do every year. According to Pabon, some of the highlights include "Hot to Go" by Chappell Roan and the viral TikTok dance for "Apple" by Charlie XCX.
In support of mental health
In addition to many exciting small changes that are coming this year, the specific cause within Dayton Children's hospital is also changing for Raiderthon 2025.
"This year, [we are] dedicating all of our funds to support mental health at Dayton Children's Hospital. So [that is] really exciting, because there [is] a really big need for it in our community. So, we will have a behavior health specialist from the hospital that will come and talk at 2 p.m. so I [am] really looking forward to that," Greene said.
Mental health is an extremely prevalent issue right now across all age groups, and it is of the utmost importance that children get the care they need to thrive. Most college students can relate to having mental health struggles, but they might not understand how much young kids can struggle, too.
"A little bit about like the Mental Health Program at Dayton Children's Hospital. So, [they are] building a whole new mental health building dedicated to just mental health, and it [will] be open late summer this year. So that [is] really exciting. [It is] going to double the amount of inpatient beds and outpatient resources, which is really crucial. If you [did not] know, suicide is the second leading cause of death for kids ages 10 to 14," Greene said.
The slogan of Miracle Makers is "kids can't wait," which is true in all aspects of healthcare. Taking care of your mental health and creating space and resources for others to do the same is beyond important in all communities.
Make sure to register for Raiderthon, and start saving up money to donate. A donation of any amount is helpful to this cause, as every cent counts for these kids.
Raiderthon will be held on Saturday, Mar. 29, from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Apollo room. Doors for signing in will open at 11:30 a.m. See you there, raiders!
