The second-largest event hosted by the University of Iowa Dance Marathon is Day to DM. Day to DM this year kicked off with 26.2 hours of fundraising ahead of us and a hefty goal of $500,000 raised, the amount it costs to cover a kiddos funeral. As an organization we had come together to discuss what strategies we each would use to maximize our impact on the tote board at the end of the night but, most importantly maximize the impact in the lives of families like the Dashiell Codd family, who showed us how significant what we would do with the 26.2 hours was. From taking stresses like buying a thermometer off the shoulders of families to bringing smiles with gift cards, we were all anxious with the mission that lay ahead, chasing $500,000.  

At every hour of the day, there were students huddled together in the IMU, emailing, calling, venmo requesting, selling, posting, to chase our collective and individual goals. With each hour that passed the room filled with more energetic students, more emailing, calling, venmo requesting, selling, posting, etc, and more mini celebrations for every donation. Students traveled from table to table asking their peers to buy cookies, raffle cards, stickers, and more. We were all fighting together to help each other reach our goals and maximize our impact on our families. As the last few minutes of our 26.2 hours approached the fighting only intensified. One after the other students kept jumping up for joy, as the donations kept rolling in. At the end of the 26.2 hours of anxiousness and determination, we were faced with the tote board revealing we had raised $602,516.93, putting our goal of $500,000 to shame.

As we are fast approaching the big event every day will be a Day to DM. We were able to soar past our already seemingly unattainable goal of $500,000, creating even more miracles for our families. There are 23 days till we reach the big event and 23 days to continue creating miracles for our families and children. We all need to fight together and take the torch of hope we created on Day to DM and carry it through to the big event. If we as an organization of determined college students can come together obliterating our goal of $500,000 in only 26.2 hours, there is no telling what could be done in the next 30 days.  

By: Yassie Buchanan, Public Relations Committee, DM26