Dance Marathon is an event colleges around the United States and Canada participate in to raise money for children in hospitals nationwide, but this year, Simpson College’s Dance Marathon will look different than years past.
For over 40 years, more than 400 colleges have held dance marathons on their campuses. For 12 to 24 hours people will stay on their feet and raise money for charity. Simpson is one of the 13 colleges to dance for kids in need, and while it may not have the same number of participants as larger universities, the school still makes a difference.
Simpson partners with Iowa Children’s Stead Family Hospital to raise funds for kids’ treatments and health needs. For the past few years, the Simpson Dance Marathon has followed a specific structure, with students and staff dancing for kids in need all day.
This year, however, the event will now be four hours held in Hubbell Hall at the end of the month. There will still be dancing, but other activities will be added, such as blanket tying and card making.
Senior Lorelei Hinders, the director of the Dance Marathon, and psychology and education major, explained more about these changes.
“Dance Marathon is still the same thing. We’re still raising money, we’re still trying to do that,” she said. “But due to unforeseen circumstances, we are changing it to more of a volunteer day and less of a fundraising day.”
The sudden shift has seen backlash from some students, but some of the coordinators for Dance Marathon believe it will be beneficial.
The changes stem from a lack of student involvement, therefore, a period of experimentation is needed. Coordinators have said a smaller event will help to gain more attention from the Simpson community. They hope having more activities will help people connect on a deeper level with each other and with the kids in need.
With the event now only four hours and on a looser schedule, busy students and staff may find it easier to get involved.
Junior psychology major and Dance Marathon team member, Linliey Okland, said she thinks the changes to come will improve the students’ and kids’ experiences.
“I’m hoping that more people will see that it’s interesting and come get involved because it is a great organization,” she said.
For the past several years, Simpson has been an avid supporter of kids in need, and is willing to disrupt the status quo to continue doing so. Dance Marathon is undergoing an evolutionary stage which will be different, but won’t drift apart from the original goal.
Simpson will still dance for children in need for many years to come, but now, with a few extra steps.
