The countdown is over and Day to DM is finally here! Day to DM is a 24-hour fundraising push day, where we come together as one community to raise as much money as we can for the kids battling cancer at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. This year alone, 41 kids and their families have been added to the Dance Marathon family and have heard the words “your child has cancer”. That means that over 1,100 families treated at the UISFCH are facing the financial and emotional strains that cancer puts on a family. Today is where your resilience will really shine through. It’s the day to show the kids exactly how much we care about them.

Dance Marathon members and the community are able to get involved and spread our lime even though Day to DM is virtual. There are many community days happening during Day to DM. The Hawk Shop is donating 10% of all Iowa logo item sales back to Day to DM. Poindexter's, located in the Graduate hotel, and Bread Garden Market are also hosting community days where a portion of their sales will go towards our tote board at the end of today.

Dance Marathon members are encouraged to sign up for a time to go flyering! Flyering this year is a safe, non-contact alternative form of canning. Dancers will be able to go door to door leaving a flyer at people’s homes that include their online-giving links so that people will be able to donate.

Throughout Day to DM matching hours will occur. Local businesses have the opportunity to match dancer’s donations for the hour. This year, some of Day to DM’s matching hour donors are the University of Iowa Center for Advancement and Hawks Ridge. We would like to say thank you to them for their generous donations and to all of our sponsors that help contribute to Day to DM.

Even though we all are not huddled together in Hubbard Commons in the IMU, dancers are encouraged to log onto the live zoom that is occurring throughout Day to DM. At the end of the day there will be a live virtual reveal of all the hard work of members of University Iowa Dance Marathon during the past 24 hours!

This year more than ever, kids and families cannot wait. Children diagnosed with pediatric cancer are one of the most vulnerable populations amid this pandemic. Their families are already all too familiar with the practice of social distancing, isolation, and wearing masks. Today, we have a job: on this day, we need to rise with resilience together.

Day to DM is a day to:

~A Day to Do More

~A Day to Deliver Miracles

~A Day to Discover the Movement

~A Day to Donate Money

So what do you say, are you ready to rise with resilience?

By: Jadie Knobbe and Parker Georlett, Public Relations Committee DM27