Freshman Spanish education major Carolyn Jones, who is a former patient at Riley Hospital for Children, said she is grateful for events like Dance Marathon because it allows the hospital to maintain free services to its patients.
During the Ball State University Dance Marathon, nearly 130 student dancers worked with sponsors and other community members to raise almost $15,000.
Saturday night, the L.A. Pittenger Student Center was filled with students, families and other supporters for 12 hours to show support for the Riley Hospital for Children.
President of the Dance Marathon Kelli Martin said the event was successful and met both of the organization's goals: having more dancers and raising more money than last year's $10,000.
She said the success of the event would not have been possible without the hard work of the executive board.
"We hope that Dance Marathon continues to grow at Ball State, and we know we can make it one of the biggest events on campus," Martin said.
Unable to sit down for the night, student dancers jammed to the music from a disc jockey and said they really enjoyed themselves.
Junior Amy Vargas, physical education and health education major, said she attended the Dance Marathon her freshman year not knowing what it was but had a blast, so she continues to support the cause.
"It's for a great cause and it's a lot of fun," Vargas said. "You have the opportunity to hear people's personal stories, which usually you won't get that chance because they're either busy or they're in and out of the hospital or whatnot."
In addition to the fun and entertainment, patients like Jones and their families came out to share their stories.
Jones said she was a Riley patient in the past; she was diagnosed with a genetic disorder at the age of 12. Due to her family having to relocate, Jones said Riley was the only hospital that could help with her disorder.
"[The Dance Marathon] raises money for the hospital because they just do such important work for kids and they don't require anyone to pay, so they need money to help function," Jones said. "So things like this, and the one at IU, just helps them stay afloat to do all of their important work with kids."
To make the 12 hours more enjoyable, the Dance Marathon executive board provided different forms of entertainment such as movies, card games, video games and tarot tables. For about an hour, guests enjoyed the sounds of South Jordan, a band of students from Indiana University.
South Jordan pianist and guitarist Bobby Campbell said he enjoys performing for a good cause because it helps to get younger people involved.
Senior finance major Jason Armbrust wasn't registered as a dancer, but he came out to show support of the marathon. He said he thinks the Dance Marathon is a good cause because it gives younger students a chance to help out a children's hospital by giving back.
"After hearing the stories of the patients, you kind of realize that without the hospital it would be a lot harder to go through what they go through," Armbrust said. "So just to be able to give back, whether it's $20 or $100, it all adds up. And it's nice to know that it's going to a good cause."
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