N.C. State Dance Marathon to benefit N.C. Children's Hospital set for Feb. 4-5

Jan. 14, 2005

N.C. State Dance Marathon to benefit N.C. Children’s Hospital set for Feb. 4-5

RALEIGH, N.C. – A student group at N.C. State University will host its third annual dance marathon from 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4 until 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5. The Dance Marathon will be held at Carmichael Gymnasium, located on the N.C. State campus in Raleigh.

The N.C. State Dance Marathon, a 24-hour no sitting, no sleeping fund-raiser, benefits the Dollars for a Difference Children's Fund for the N.C. Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill. Hundreds of participants will gather in Carmichael Gymnasium to stay on their feet for 24 hours to show their support for the guests of honor – patients of the N.C. Children’s Hospital and their families.

"For this 24-hour period, students from across campus as well as the community come together just for the kids," said Sara Anderson, overall committee chair for the N.C. State Dance Marathon. “For 24 hours nothing else matters. It is inspirational to see so many different people come out and support this great cause."

There will be 24 hours of friends, entertainment, bands, games, food, and most importantly the motivation of knowing that Dance Marathon is supporting the children and families of the N.C. Children's Hospital, the only nonprofit children's hospital in North Carolina. The N.C. Children's Hospital benefits children all across North Carolina by providing "one stop health care" for children and their families.  More than 40,000 children come in for 128,000 diagnosis and treatment visits annually.

This year, the N.C. State Dance Marathon hopes to surpass last year’s total of $10,000. With this goal in mind, “Spend a Night, Save a Life,” has been chosen as the theme in hopes to attract even more participants willing to devote 24 hours of their time to making a difference. The children cannot take a break from their illnesses, so for 24 hours, students and community together will not take a break from their marathon focus.

“We greatly appreciate what these students are doing,” said Dr. Alan Stiles, physician-in-chief for the N.C. Children’s Hospital and chair of the Department of Pediatrics in University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. “Seeing the students from N.C. State taking on a cause to help children from all across North Carolina, ignoring the traditional rivalry between the N.C. State and Chapel Hill campuses, is very uplifting. The efforts of the N.C. State Dance Marathon help make the difference between our ability to deliver good care and cutting-edge care.”

Dance Marathon contact: Stephanie Smith, (919) 605-2412, slsmith3@ncsu.edu