Year: 2011
Amount Raised: $1,220,146.17

Every year, Dance Marathon concludes with strong emotions, amazing success, and exhausted students and faculty who danced the night away for our DM kids and families. However, the next Dance Marathon starts fresh the very next day with zero registered dancers and zero funds raised. When you think about the herculean effort made by busy college students over the course of twelve months, the results are even more remarkable. However, the driving force behind this homegrown tradition is the relentless enthusiasm of the student body and the unwavering support of the UI faculty and administration.  

With having raised over a million dollars the previous 3 years (DM14-DM16), significant changes were made to our Sponsorship and Development programs to leverage existing support and build new relationships. A new program that emerged was a fundraiser with a local business M.C Ginsberg. We also worked with the newly established Fry Fest to help break the world record for the number of people doing the Hokey Pokey.

Another milestone event was the grand opening of the University of Iowa Dance Marathon Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Research Lab. This was the second largest single contribution that Dance Marathon had made at $1 Million Dollars. This decision was part of a strategic partnership to attract top doctors and researchers to the University of Iowa in the area of pediatric cancer research. Moving forward, Dance Marathon added pediatric cancer research funding to its growing list of supported programs benefiting pediatric cancer patients treated at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.  

Dance Marathon 17 also saw changes to its online image as major changes were made to our www.dancemarathon.org website. Additionally, we saw greater alignment to our Alumni programming as the standing president of our Dance Marathon Alumni group became the faculty advisor of Dance Marathon. This helped lay the foundation for future expansion of our Alumni engagement and fundraising.

These are just a few of the exciting changes during Dance Marathon 17.  But perhaps the most remarkable feat is what never changes. As Dance Marathon continues to grow and reach new heights, our mission remains the same…Creating Tomorrow by Dancing Today.