Participants spent their Saturday “Racing For a Cure” at the Butler University Dance Marathon. Photo by Jonathan Wang.

JACK WILLIAMS | CULTURE CO-EDITOR | jrwilliams@butler.edu 

Butler University Dance Marathon (BUDM) participants leaped into action on Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Health and Recreation Complex (HRC) to raise a total of $330,095.89 for the Riley Hospital for Children. 

This year’s theme, “Racing For a Cure”, brought together students from every corner of campus. BUDM executive committee members, decked out in checkered black-and-white, ensured that each section of students — called a color team — moved smoothly through activity stations and learned the group dance.

In between, Riley kids and their families spoke about the impact the hospital had on their lives. Riley is located in downtown Indianapolis and is the only pediatric research hospital in Indiana. It is a member of the national Children’s Miracle Network of hospitals, which each receive funds from local college and high school donation drives.

What set this marathon apart from past years was the Butler vs. Georgetown basketball game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which happened to fall on the same day as BUDM. 

Senior chemistry major Nathan Marohn, the president of BUDM, saw the game as a boon rather than an obstacle.

“We contemplated changing our date, but we decided to keep it because we felt that could be an opportunity to [tap] into a new sector of campus that we normally do not work with,” Marohn said. “We reached out early last semester to athletics, and we were able to form a partnership with them for this game. We [had] the Riley kids high-fiving the players as they [came] out and threw T-shirts [to the audience].”

Marohn hopes that this partnership can continue in years to come. BUDM is no stranger to community outreach, as the gleaming Indy car outside of the HRC attested. Despite the potentially daunting scale of the organization, the executive board fostered a welcoming environment for first-time dancers. 

Senior health sciences major Ava Zettler, the director of Riley education, signed up for BUDM at Block Party her first year and believes that there is a place for everyone to contribute to the cause.

“You have a connection because you live in Indianapolis,” Zettler said. “This is your community; these are your people … maybe you are not the kind of person who wants to get up in front of everybody and talk. That’s okay — we have accounting, finance, communications; [there is] something that [can] appeal to everybody.”

One energetic way students participated was lip syncs, where teams from Butler fraternities and sororities duked it out onstage to racing-themed songs such as Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive” to raise donations.

Margaret Smith, a middle-secondary English education major, danced for Pi Beta Phi. She was familiar with dance marathons from her Indiana high school but had never participated in one until this year.

“It was a really great feeling,” Smith said. “I had medical [issues] as a child, so a lot of it hit home for me. It was really respectful how, every time [a Riley family] told their story, we took a knee.”

Another factor in BUDM’s high turnout is the club’s sense of purpose, which has grown stronger each year since its founding in 2003. 100% of proceeds go to Riley and students have the unique opportunity to hear directly from Riley children. This fosters students’ sense of a shared mission and community.

The most prominent story at BUDM during any year is that of Sarah Michelle Cohen, the late sister of Butler alumnus Ben Cohen. Before her passing in 2009, Sarah frequently spoke to students at Butler and Carmel dance marathons about her experience at Riley and raised thousands of dollars. Ben went on to serve as BUDM president from 2009-2010.

To Marohn, it is important that BUDM recognize the varied experiences of Riley families.

“We have a few kids [whose] time was cut too short by their illness,” Marohn said. “We still are supporting them and their family as they grieve … whatever we can do to help support [children’s] treatment and relieve pressure off their [family’s] life is why we do it.”

The stories of Riley children and their families were centered throughout Saturday, in photos and trifold boards as well as the actions of the dancers. With a high final donation tally and successful community partnerships, it seems that BUDM is well-positioned to continue its work for many years to come.