by Madison V. Fisler
Feb. 19, 2014. Get ready to dance your fund-raising APPS off! On Saturday, Feb. 22, Appalachian State University’s Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) will host Dance Marathon 2014!
Dance Marathon is an annual event that raises funds for worthy organizations. Started 11 years ago, the purpose of the event, according to ACT is to see Appalachian students look beyond themselves and advocate for the present and future wellbeing of kids and families in the High Country of Western North Carolina.
In the weeks leading up to Dance Marathon, each participant does their best to raise $150, which equates to $10 per hour of dancing, through various fundraising activities throughout the year with proceeds benefiting local kids and families through two local non-profits; Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent Family Support Network.
“$150 is about the cost it takes per child for one week of after school care through the Western Youth Network,” said Kate Johnson, Associate Director for Community Service for ACT.
Registration for the event ended on Feb. 14 in order to give all participants ample time to raise funds toward busting their moves on the dance floor.
“We want to make sure people have enough time to raise the required $150,” Johnson said. “However, if people still want to register and they have $150 in hand, they can come to our office and register late.”
Once they have raised $150, participants will bust a move (or a thousand) in a 15-hour marathon of dancing to rocking tunes and strutting their stuff on the dance floor. The marathon will begin at Legends at Appalachian State University at 10 a.m. and will continue through 15 hours of fun, music, food, activities and more until 1 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Top fundraisers can win awesome prizes like gift cards and much more. Teams are also encouraged to wear costumes to match this year’s themes. Themes include:
- Animal Theme
- Dance Marathon T-shirt and Neon Theme
- 90s Character Theme
- Get Your Nerd On Video Dance Party
Beginning at 10 p.m., guests can enter Legends to support friends and family members who are busy dancing the night away for just $10.
“Last year, we raised just over $25,000,” Johnson said. “This year, our goal is $25,000.”
For more information about this year’s Dance Marathon, call 262-2193 or visit the ACT Outreach Center on the 1st floor of the Plemmons Student Union’s new extension.
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