The Wright State Guardian

Raiderthon | Photo by Kelsie Tomlinson | The Wright State Guardian

The ninth Annual Raiderthon Dance Marathon was held this weekend and Miracle Makers, the hosts of the event, revealed after 12-hours of dance that they raised a total of $32,153.46.

Marathon

Miracle Makers President Abby Adams opened the ceremonies by welcoming the attendees back to the first in-person Raiderthon since 2019.

“We stand united as this generation, fighting for the next,” Adams said. “You have continued to show up to support our cause, continued to fight despite all the world has thrown at us.”

The Dance Marathon spanned throughout the conference wing of the student union, one wing of the Apollo room stocked with games, a bounce house, air hockey, cornhole, a pingpong table and a supersized Connect 4. The other rooms were full of Raffle contests and loaded with food and snacks for attendees throughout the day.

Master of Ceremonies Jeremy Keller reflected on the first Raiderthon back when he was a student at WSU and how proud he is that the tradition continues today.

“I am so excited to see this year-long effort come together,” Keller said. “I am most excited for the big reveal of total fundraising at the end of the night.”

The Raiderthon Dance Marathon was sponsored by WSU organizations such as Student Government Association, University Activities Board and Student Involvement and Leadership.

Raiderthon was also backed by several local businesses such as Marion’s Pizza, Lee’s Famous Chicken and Barnes & Noble.

Local businesses and locations donated to the raffle incentive, donating 39 total raffle prize packages for attendees to enter into the drawing such as gift certificates, salon packages and themed baskets.

History

In 1991, the first dance marathon was founded by Jill White in the memory of her friend Ryan White, who lost his childhood battle with HIV. Since 1991, over 400 campuses nationwide have raised more than 300 million for children’s healthcare through the power of the dance marathon.

Raiderthon continues that tradition by collecting donations from participants to fund miracle children at the Dayton local hospitals. Attendees were also encouraged to post their Raiderthon marathon on social media to find sponsors for their fundraising challenges with prizes throughout the night.

Participants

The total number of dancers and teams registered for Raiderthon surpassed 200 participants, drawing in personal donations and team-based donations.

Local high school student Javeria Shaiah attended to determine the viability of recreating a dance marathon at her school Dayton Regional Stem School.

“Knowing that there is an organization that helps these kids warms my heart,” Shaiah said.

Participants were involved throughout the marathon with hourly events, such as a Zumba hour, a puppy talent show, a lip sync battle and a rave hour leading up to midnight.

Friends Emma Biermann and Keri Friend attended Raiderthon together for the first time on Saturday.

“I am excited to dance with everyone and raise money,” Biermann said.

Friend added how excited she was to see how it all turns out at the end of the night.

Miracle kids

To remind the attendees of the Raiderthon motto “For The Kids”, Miracle Makers partnered with Dayton Children’s Hospital to put faces to the donation effort for the hospital. Parents and children involved with the hospitals from all different walks of life attended the event, and three different families spoke on their personal stories and the impact made by Dayton Children’s.

Stacy Hubbard, the mother of ‘Miracle Kid’ Courtney, spoke on behalf of her daughter who passed away in January of 2020, and the impact of Dayton Children’s on her daughter’s struggle with her mental health.

“Courtney was the life of the party and everyone loved her,” Hubbard said. “She fought a hard battle, and it was the type of battle anyone can face, especially children.”