For 15 hours each February, Appalachian State University students dance without stopping. Why? For Appalachian’s annual Dance Marathon, a community service event hosted by Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT).
Last year, Dance Marathon raised a record $41,045.62 for the community. ACT hopes to continue the upward trend this year.
“ACT takes pride in the fact that Appalachian’s Dance Marathon benefits two local nonprofit agencies, Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent Family Support Network. It’s all too easy to grow complacent and forget that there are people struggling just outside the perimeter of our campus,” said Brandon Williams, an ACT member who serves on the Dance Marathon leadership team.
This is an annual event put on by The Act Office at Appalachian State University. The proceeds go to Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent, two local organizations in the High Country.
Support the community
The beneficiaries of the event, Western Youth Network (WYN) and Parent to Parent Family Support Network™-High Country (P2P), focus on giving local families and youth tools, opportunities and resources for success.
WYN supports more than 200 children and youth each year in its mentoring, after-school and prevention programs, with the goal to build confidence and character so all young people in the High Country reach their full potential. P2P provides free support, caring connections, information and hope to families who have a premature baby, a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness, a chronic health condition or to families who are grieving the death of a child.
Other universities host similar events, but Appalachian’s Dance Marathon is different because students see the impact made on the local community. During the event, the youth and families of WYN and P2P come and interact with Appalachian students.
Laura-Lee Williams participates in 2015’s Dance Marathon as a sophomore. Behind her in the dance line are Jordan Hines and Brandon Williams, with Reem Shuga on left.
“The joy on their faces is beyond words. It’s a feeling not easily replicated,” Williams said. “This will be my fourth year as a participant and my third year as part of the planning committee. What keeps me coming back is being able to see the community members that we have such an impact upon through this event.”
Service is highly valued here at Appalachian, and Dance Marathon is one of ACT’s and the university’s largest philanthropy events. ACT fuels students’ passion for making a difference by providing opportunities such as Dance Marathon for community service and service-learning. In the past 10 years, ACT has contributed more than $21.7 million of value to the community, using the $23.07 per hour national standard for volunteer time, according to the ACT office.
More than 200 students participated in Dance Marathon in 2015, raising a record $41,045.62 for Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent Family Support Network.
About Dance Marathon
Participants are asked to raise $150 before the event, which represents $10 for each hour of the event, Williams said. While $150 might seem difficult to raise, ACT encourages students to register anyway.
“My hope is that the ability to accumulate large donations does not impede anyone from interacting with this event. Every dollar counts. All we ask for is your very best attempt,” Williams said.
To keep energy levels high, ACT provides entertainment throughout the event. Past entertainers include student DJs, Zumba instructors, the Hispanic Student Association (HSA) and VoiceMale, an a cappella group at Appalachian. ACT also secures food donations from local restaurants so participants will have plenty to eat throughout the event.
During last year’s event, participants interact with the youth and families of Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent Family Support Network.
Participants change costumes every few hours to correspond to Dance Marathon’s theme hours. This year, the themes are space, pajama party and childhood heroes, Williams said.
Participants can sign up for the event as an individual or part of a team. All participants are placed into larger groups at the event to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to meet new people.
This year’s Dance Marathon is Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center. For more information or to sign up to participate, visit ACT’s Appsync page. Those who don’t want to raise money can participate as “morale dancers” from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for $10.
Dance Marathon participants keep their energy levels high for 15 hours straight in this year’s event.
Dance Marathon participants each had to raise at least $150, which represents $10 for each hour of the event.
Participants changed costumes every few hours to correspond to Dance Marathon’s theme hours. This year’s themes were space, pajama party and childhood heroes.
This year’s Dance Marathon raised $38,107.81 for local nonprofits Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent Family Support Network.
View images from Appalachian State University’s 2016 Dance Marathon, which raised $38,107.81 for local nonprofits Western Youth Network and Parent to Parent Family Support Network.
About Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT)
Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) provides service experiences as opportunities to connect and engage with others to build authentic relationships, stimulate critical thinking and skill building, and recognize individual impact and responsibility to the local and global community. Between the 2004–05 and 2017–18 academic years, over $25 million of value has been contributed to the community via Appalachian State University's Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) program (over 1.91 million hours of service plus $699,786 in funds raised) using the $24.14 per hour national standard for volunteer time. ACT partners with over 160 local nonprofits. Initiatives include blood drives, hunger and homeless awareness events, fundraising for local charities and alternative service experiences. Learn more at https://act.appstate.edu.
About Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country
Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC) provides free support, caring connections, information and hope to families who have a premature baby, a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness or a chronic health condition, and to families who are grieving the death of a child. The program serves seven counties in Western North Carolina: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. Parent to Parent FSN-HC provides information and tools to help families see the possibilities for their children and turn that potential into reality. Learn more at https://parent2parent.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier, public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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