UCA Dance Marathon Celebrates Over $5,000 Raised
On March 30th, the University of Central Arkansas hosted their 3rd annual Dance Marathon. UCA Dance Marathon is a movement that raises funds and awareness for Arkansas Children’s l, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. This year, UCA Dance Marathon raised over $5,000 for Arkansas Children’s and hosted over 100 UCA students at their event.
This year, students heard patient stories from Arkansas Children’s ambassadors, learned their morale dance, played games, and made their final fundraising push for the year. Participants of Dance Marathon, also called Dancers, stood the entire event to honor patients treated at Arkansas Children’s.
When a Dancer checked into the event, they were given a hospital bracelet to wear. After several hours of standing and dancing, Dancers stood in a circle around the room for the closing ceremony called the Circle of Hope. This is a tradition among all Dance Marathons. . Lauren Reynolds, an Arkansas Children’s Ambassador, went around and cut the bands off of each Dancer. The Circle of Hope ceremony is symbolic to the moment a patient gets their bracelet cut off, and gets to go home from the hospital. Lauren said “it was an honor being there and being able to cut everyone’s bands of . . . as someone who has cut their own band off many times.” The Circle of Hope ceremony rounds out the event and keeps the mission of Dance Marathon front and center—to save kids lives.
