Professor Fabiana Alceste led attendees in Zumba during group rotations. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
LAUREN FISCHER | ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER | lrfischer@butler.edu
Butler University Dance Marathon (BUDM) held its Day of Marathon on Saturday, Feb. 28, where students from across campus joined together at the Health and Recreation Complex and raised $342,304.13 for Riley Hospital for Children.
This year, BUDM embraced its theme, “Festival of Hope,” by learning dances to popular hits led by the morale team — a group of students dedicated to boosting energy throughout the day and teaching choreography. Alongside morale, students were guided through activities by BUDM executive committee members and color team captains. Multiple student organizations make up each color team, and the teams compete to raise the most money.
Throughout the day, students hear stories from Riley kids and families to learn about the personal impact Riley had on their lives. All the money that BUDM raises on the Day of Marathon and at events over the year goes directly to pediatric cancer research in honor of Sarah Michelle Cohen.
Willa Gramann, a junior strategic communications major and co-director of marketing for BUDM, emphasized how Riley Hospital has a strong presence in Indianapolis due to its downtown location, making it a valued cause for many Butler students.
“[If you] walk into [a] room, there’s probably five people that have been treated at Riley,” Gramann said.
The proximity of Riley Children’s Hospital to Butler also allows members of BUDM to remain involved throughout the year, with some members serving as volunteers or employees, and others taking time to show their support in other ways.
Olivia McKee, a senior marketing major and BUDM president, spoke about how the relationship between BUDM and Riley is a crucial part of the club.
“We like to go to their [events] too,” McKee said. “We like to show them it’s not just a one-way thing. If [they] have a soccer game, we’d love to come cheer [them] on. Our Riley Relations Committee does a really good job at fostering those relationships and making sure we can sustain connections with those families throughout the years.”
McKee also discussed her favorite part of the Day of Marathon, when attendees get to see all of their work and efforts throughout the year come together.
“My favorite part is the fundraising reveal at the end of the night,” McKee said. “A lot of people don’t realize that Dance Marathon is a whole year thing. We do things like the pickleball tournament [and] dodgeball [tournament, working] towards our big day today. Getting to see that number at the end of the night is really rewarding and a super special moment.”
This year, BUDM fundraised over $10,000 more than the previous year. The club has worked to raise more money by increasing involvement all around campus, using the color teams to engage student leaders from athletic teams, Greek life, service or religious organizations and more.
Sophomore elementary education major Ivy Padilla expressed excitement about how the Day of Marathon brings so many people together in unique ways.
“BUDM takes it to a whole different [level]. You’re not thinking of it as service hours; you are helping a cause bigger than yourself,” Padilla said. “Raising money like this is very family-friendly and involves younger kids, too, not just us students. I think it’s important to bring in everyone, and [to] see [that we are] all a community, no matter if you’re not in Greek life, you are in Greek life [or] you’re in different clubs. Everyone is a part of this.”
One of the popular student events during the Day of Marathon is the lip syncs, where fraternities and sororities perform dances to on-theme songs such as Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life”, competing to fundraise.
Padilla, who choreographed and danced in the lip sync for Butler’s chapter of Phi Kappa Psi, got involved in BUDM after watching and admiring the lip syncs last year. He mentioned that fundraising for Riley’s Children’s Hospital was always a big part of his life, and he is thankful for the chance to remain involved with it.
“All [through elementary school] I remember fundraising for [Riley], and so seeing [it] still be a part of my life and seeing it come full circle into my college life,” Padilla said. “I love what we’re doing, and I think that it’s important that we also bring awareness to it, because I think I [want to] find a way to fundraise for Riley’s when I become a teacher. It’s been a part of my life forever, so I want to keep it going.”
Whether or not students have personal connections to Riley, through dance, games, crafts and stories, hundreds of students were brought together to fight for one cause.
