On Saturday, Feb. 27, West Chester University will be having their very first Dub C Dance-A-Thon sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity here on campus.
The event will take place from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Sykes Ballrooms. For 12 hours, everyone will dance for kids who suffer from a variety of illnesses. Dance-A-Thons across the country benefit Children Miracle Network Hospitals, and West Chester’s event will be specifically for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raise money to research and spread awareness for children suffering from a wide range of health problems.
The Dance Marathon team at West Chester is made up of students who are passionate about this cause and want to do everything they can to help.
Throughout the past two semesters, members of the Dub C Dance-A-Thon executive board have been working hard to bring the event to campus.
They have all been advertising the event, staying connected with the hospital, tracking finances and doing many other tasks necessary to make the Dub C Dance-A-Thon a successful one.
The morale team, who are the lively ones of the bunch, have choreographed an awesome dance to get everyone on their feet and teach the participants the dance moves throughout the entire night.
The Dub C Dance-A-Thon team has a lot of connections with CHOP since both of the presidents intern for the hospital.
Everyone has been affected by disease in one way or another and the executive board takes no exception to that. Carly Stephens, who is a cancer survivor, and Maddie Benner are presidents of the Dub C Dance-A-Thon. The two of them have been working very hard on this amazing event.
Along with the help of the executive board, Stephens and Benner started putting the spotlight on “Miracle Kids.”
Miracle Kids are children they want to honor for their amazing strength and courage.
The very first Miracle Kid of the Dub C Dance-A-Thon is an 18-month-old boy named Colin who was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, which is a rare form of eye cancer.
Colin’s story is extremely powerful and in no time, he became a mini celebrity on the Dance Marathon team. They even sent videos and updates to Colin from their meetings.
It’s kids like Colin that need to be danced for. They fight every day and are immensely strong in everything they do.
Come dance with the Dub C Dance-A-Thon on Feb. 27. It’s for the kids.
Jennifer Latchford is a student majoring in communication studies with a minor in psychology. She can be reached at JL805617@wcupa.edu.