Last weekend, I participated in USC's 20th year of Dance Marathon. I signed up for Dance Marathon back in the fall after a couple of older girls in DZ highly recommended it and wow, I am so glad I did.
Being the 20th year of DM, the motto for this year's event was The Power of One. We set out to raise $1 million to benefit Palmetto Health Children's Hospital here in Columbia. For those who may not be familiar with Dance Marathon, it's a 14-hour no sitting, dance party and all the money we raise is all FTK (for the kids!). DM started at 10am and went up until midnight.
I was on Delta Zeta's team and our color team was pink so we got all decked out in all the pink we could find. I sported a pink tutu, pink knee-high socks, pink beads, pink head boppers, and a bright pink fanny pack. DZ also got team tanks that I loved and will definitely continue to wear it even though the main event is over.
We ended up raising $1,025,171 and words can't even begin to describe my emotions when we flipped the numbers to reveal our fundraising total. As sore and exhausted as I was the following morning, my heart was (and still is) extremely full and Dance Marathon already holds a very special place in my heart. Throughout the day we got to listen to a handful of our miracle kid's stories and getting to meet the kids was really what kept me dancing for 14 hours straight. Even though I'm awful at dancing, it was so much fun to laugh alongside some of my best friends, scream the words to middle school throwback songs and know that we were making a difference in people's lives.
If you ever get the opportunity to participate in your schools Dance Marathon, I highly recommend you do so. It's an event you'll never forget and I can almost promise you that you'll leave with a heart so full you don't know what to do with all your happiness and you'll have a smile on your face that you just can't seem to wipe away.
Keep dancing & as always, FTK!
xoxo,
