Darren is a 15-year-old boy with end-stage renal disease currently on dialysis. He has been hospitalized many times over the last year and as a result his mother has taken many days of unpaid leave from work. The missed income led to a family crisis in missed bill payments. The For the Kids Fund paid utility bills, electricity bills and other bills until the family could catch up, allow-ing the family to focus more fully on caring for Darren.

For the Kids Story

UPCOMING EVENTS

"Tonight you save lives, to-night you inspire, tonight you give hope."

— Judy Ward, mother of Kid Co-Captains Abigail and Rachel

Mar. 3 Craig Woolard Band: Join us at Pan-tana Bob’s from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. $6 for under 21, $3 for over.

Mar. 20 IFC Soccer Tournament: Play in the Intrafraternity tournament from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mar. 31: Sub-chair Applications Due: Apply to be a sub-chair for UNC-DM 2012. The application will be released around Mar. 28, due back Mar. 31.

Volume 2, Issue 8 March 2011

The mission of The UNC Dance Marathon is to unite the University, community and state in fostering emotional and financial support that improves the quality of life for the patients, families and staff of N.C. Children’s Hospital.

What’s Up This MonthHour by hour for the kidsRe-live the marathon through the eyes of 19 dancers and six committee members who shared their experiences live on the blog.

See Pages 2-5

Letter from Dr. Michael SteinerThe medical director of the children’s clinics thanks participants for their work.

See Page 6

Dancers, thank youParents of this year’s kid co-captains thank the participants for their hard work at the marathon and year-round.

See Page 6

UNC Dance Marathon DayMayor Mark Kleinschmidt declared Feb. 11, 2011 UNC Dance Marathon Day, and busi-nesses in the community joined the fundraising effort.

See Page 7

Spotlight Grant: Beacon Child and Family ProgramThe Beacon Child and Family Program at N.C. Children’s Hospital helps victims of abuse.

See Page 8

UNC Dance Marathon Raises $436,709.61

March Newsletter 2Marathon by the Hour 730

It’s hour 1 and I’m feeling…“Exhilarated yet embarrassed by my dance moves.” — Lesley Sig-gins, junior, first-year dancer

830 It’s hour 2 and I’m feeling…“Hungry!” — Dianna Beaver, ju-nior, first-year dancer

930

It’s hour 3 and I’m feeling…“Pretty good! Just got done with lots of dancing and got free coffee from Jack Sprat!” — Kate Murphy, sophomore, second-year dancer

1030

1130

It’s hour 7 and I’m feeling…“That my morale went way down after Dexter Strickland dunked on me during knock out.” — Alison Whisenant, junior, second-year dancer

DJ Turn It Up — 11:30 p.m. Check-in by Emily Evans

It’s four hours and two line dances into The 2011 UNC Dance Marathon, and so far the energy

level has yet to stop rising. From a video greet-

1230

It’s hour 6 and I’m feeling…“Better than I thought I would! Love the tribal paint and the dancing!” — Ste-fano Rivera, senior, second-year dancer

It’s hour 4 and I’m feeling…“Like I should DANCE, DANCE like it’s the last, last night of my life!” — Lindsay Kaudelka, sophomore, second-year dancer

130

ing from UNC alumnus and former American Idol contestant Anoop Desai, to a Zumba workout, to a performance by the UNC club gymnastics team and more, Fetzer Gym hasn’t had a dull moment.

“It’s going very well,” said hospital committee member and three-year UNC-DM participant Sonya Rice, wearing a Pikachu costume. “I’ve seen improvements every year.”

As a three-year UNC-DM participant myself, I’ve certainly felt the positive attitude flowing through the marathon so far tonight thanks to emcee Hogan Medlin, current UNC student body president, and performers like singer/songwriter Jake Troth.

Troth, whose mellow acoustic jams had dancers swaying and singing along, said he could feel the energy even from onstage.

“It’s a good audience because they don’t get to leave,” he joked. “There’s positive vibes going on — that’s like the best crowd you can get.”

Photos by Molly Sutherland, Spencer Bakalar, Gwen Bellinger, Emily Lucas, Michelle Kasprak, Paige Warmus, Jenna McIn-tosh, Erin Burks and Ashlyn Still

March Newsletter 3

230It’s hour 8 and I’m feeling…“Tired but ENERGIZED!” — Dana Royal, sophomore, first-year dancer

330 430’Cause this is Africa — 3:30 a.m. Check-in by Margot Pien

Around hour five I started feeling the first signs of pain, the effects of less than six hours of sleep Thursday night and three

Friday classes taking a toll.But as my committee gathered in the publicity room and carefully

applied our tribal makeup, the adrenaline flowed through my veins once again. It was satisfying and exciting to perform onstage in front of the hundreds of dancers and show off our semi-coordinated dance moves.

The competition was impressive. My favorite had to be Campus Fundraising’s dance to the Disney movie Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” Outreach committee member and second-year dancer Sonia Ammu agreed.

“They were well synchronized and really good,” she said. “They put a lot of energy into it.”

Freshman and first-year dancer Marian Barrett said she was sur-prisingly not feeling too worn down.

“I’m not tired,” she said. “My feet are tired.”She said that moving around and walking was really helpful and

that she was enjoying her experience so far.“I’m having a lot more fun than I was expecting,” Barrett said.

It’s hour 10 and I’m feeling…“SLOW!” — Lau-ren Wimple, freshman, first-year dancer

530

It’s hour 12 and I’m feeling…“Rejuvenated after the morning walk! …RAVE!” — Faith McNeill, senior, third-year dancer

630

It’s hour 11 and I’m feeling…“Sore, but excited!” — Tyson Presnell, freshman, first-year dancer

730

Raise your glass — 7:30 a.m. Check-in by Olivia Barrow

It’s the half-way point. Everything we just did, we get to do again. I made it this far – I can finish this strong. For me, the journey to this moment started 365 days ago at 8:35

a.m, when a friend visiting the marathon asked me how I was doing.“SO good!” I said, jumping in the air to emphasize the point. She laughed at me and

reminded me I still had 11 hours to go. But I already knew I would do this again next year.So it’s the half-way point again, and I just got back from a refreshing walk around our

beloved Kenan Stadium, and I’m so glad I still have 12 hours to celebrate the work we do at N.C. Children’s Hospital. The last four hours have been epic – Eric and the DiMarzios brought down the house with their original “If It Burns” and their cover of Mumford and Sons’ “Little Lion Man.”

“It was phenomenal to play for so many and get such a good response,” said Eric DiMar-zio, who performed with his band at 3 a.m.

So raise your glass to half-way and all that it means. Now let’s rave!

March Newsletter 4

830It’s hour 13 and I’m feeling…“So happy to see young people dancing for us!” — Mackenzie Neigh-bors, freshman, first-year dancer

930It’s hour 14 and I’m feel-ing…“That these next 10 hours are going to be THE BEST IN MY LIFE!!” — Nikki Phillips, senior, third-year dancer

1030It’s hour 15 and I’m feeling…“A lot of pain, but my heart is happy!” — Kristen Carter, junior, third-year dancer

1130

Every Long Lost Dream – 11:30 a.m. Check-in by Victoria Cook

And here’s where the pain begins for me. Sixteen hours into the Marathon and I’m thankful for

the friends who brought me soda, chocolate and pain killers! In fact, I’m writing this in my bedroom slippers so I can give my feet a comfortable and airy rest. But despite this pain, this truly has been the best one-night stand of my life!

1230

It’s hour 17 and I’m feeling…“REJUVENATED!!!”— Caroline Ewald, senior, fourth-year dancer

130

It’s hour 18 and I’m feeling…“Like a ninja.” — Lisa Santiago, junior, third-year dancer230It’s hour 19 and I’m feeling…

“FABULOUS!” — Mary Kate Healy, senior, first-year dancer

The past few hours have been filled with awesome performers and game shows. My personal favorite was UNC-DM Idol. Three contestants performed their choice of song for the audience who later decided the contestants’ fate via applause.

Kyle DeLappe, a junior who was dancing for the first time, won the crowd over with his rendition of Rascal Flatts’ “God Blessed the Broken Road”.

“It was so great,” he said of his experience onstage. “I’ve never done that in front of that many people before and it was great.”

As he continues to dance for the remaining hours, his motivation is simple.“That little girl who I saw initially,” he said, referring Asheton Ayotte, a kid

co-captain. “And every time I get tired, which I do, I think of that little girl.”

March Newsletter 5

330’Til we turn the house down – 3:30 p.m. Check-in by Emily Tracy

It is hour 20 and spirits are not tanking. Four hours ago we got re-introduced to the real world via the athletic fields,

away from the constant dance party in Fetzer Gym.“It is so beautiful,” Morale Committee Member Carol Heaver said.

“We have been in a bit of a slump, but then you come outside to a beautiful day and the band is playing UNC songs and it is so uplifting.”

After a lunch on the Astroturf, an unbelievable relief from the wood floors in the gym, lunch and puppy playtime, dancers returned to the gym with renewed spirit for the kids.

Carolina Blues, the winning band from last year’s Battle of the Bands, kicked off the new shift with an electrifying performance including covers of “Wagon Wheel,” “The Twist” and The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” The audience was on their feet as if it was hour one.

Singer and guitar player Kenneth Barshop said that performing at UNC-DM is the band’s favorite gig.

“The audience is having a great time and it is for a great cause,” Barshop said.

The UNC Dance Marathon is what you make of it. For the last four hours, keep calm and dance on.

430 It’s hour 21 and I’m feeling…“The game’s on and that’s all I’m focusing on.” — Taylor Anderson, sophomore, first-year dancer

530 630

730

It’s hour 22 and I’m feeling…“An energetic delirious!” — Hanna McMurry, junior, third-year dancer

It’s hour 23 and I’m feeling…“EUPHORIC.” — Laura Zdanski, sopho-more, first-year dancer

REFLECTIONBy Amy Schwartz

Despite the swollen feet and tired faces, there was a burst of energy ignited during the final hour of The 2011 UNC Dance Marathon.

As the line dance mentioned, the 1,600 dancers had been “around the world in just one night,” but we all settled down for an hour at the end to listen to the inspiring stories from the children and families of N.C. Children’s Hospital.

All of the dancers gathered around the stage as the kid co-captains were announced to a rejuvenated screaming crowd. Their faces burst with joy as a short biography was read for each child, with details including their hobbies and favorite colors.

No words can describe the look on the kids’ faces when they heard their stories declared in front of the crowd of adoring Tar Heel dancers. Even these small details such as their favorite color made each child gleam as they received their roaring applause.

The final hour was filled with stories of hardship told by families whose children have stayed at N.C. Children’s Hospital. Judy Ward, the mother of two twin girls who had spent time in the neonatal unit of UNC, brought the crowd to tears.

“When life kicks you in the ass — and it will — remember the difference you made for the kids,” she said.Throughout our 24 hours, the pain and soreness were trivial compared to the joy that we brought into each child’s life, and

the many more who will pass through the doors of N.C. Children’s Hospital.

March Newsletter 6

When amazing things are happening in our midst, it can be easy to miss them.

On a corner of this campus, between the Bell Tow-er and graduate student housing, sits the North Caro-lina Children’s Hospital. I realize that many employ-ees there haven’t been to main campus, and that most students haven’t been to the hospital. I’m writing this letter to make sure all of your readers know that some-thing amazing is happening between the hospital and the main campus; The UNC Dance Marathon has helped to transform the experience of thousands of patients and families from across the state who come to the hos-pital for care.

The work of The UNC Dance Marathon has allowed the parents of a 1 month old with a breathing tube in his neck and a feeding tube in his stomach to share a meal and get support from other families with children with severe diseases. The students from The UNC Dance Mar-athon have helped children waiting for painful medica-tion infusions or other procedures to laugh and smile as they waited for their appointment. Money given by The UNC Dance Marathon has helped start major programs like having a dedicated Spanish interpreter for children and families with cancer or supporting a special cen-ter to systematically improve the quality of the medical care provided to children.

Let this letter serve as assurance that what you did [at The 2011 UNC Dance Marathon] will make amazing things happen on the other side of campus, and across the state.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Steiner, MDMedical Director, Children’s Clinics

LETTER FROM DR. MICHaEL STEINER LETTERS FROM PaRENTS“I just wanted to let you know how great of a time I

had at the Dance Marathon. 436,709.61- that is a big number. … A little while while after getting there I met a group of girls who invited me to dance with them, and it was the most fun I have had in a VERY long time. To top it all off, I danced like crazy and I didn’t even need my inhaler! … I was so happy when I found out how much you raised, so I was wondering if I could help out next year.”

“Our family was honored to be part of the marathon this year and today’s events were exciting, fun and very moving. Jake and Cassidy enjoyed all of the interaction with the dancers and Kathy and I appreciated how nice and supportive everyone was with the kids.

Everyone who we have met with the group has been just fantastic …Thank you for including Jake and for do-ing such a great job for The UNC Dance Marathon. I’m as proud to be a Tar Heel today as I ever have been.”

We just wanted to thank you for the wonderful time we had at the Dance Marathon! You all did a tremendous job organizing, fundraising, and making sure everything went well. Congratulations on a job well done!

Colleen enjoyed being there and one of the students … hung around with us and made her feel special. The crowd was wonderful with their applause for the chil-dren co-captains.

Now is your time to rest, relax and enjoy all the work you did for the Dance Marathon and the Children’s hospital.

Thanks again!

— Karolyne, Kid Co-Captain for Team 8

— Clark Ellis, father of Jake, Kid Co-Captain for Team 23

— Kathy and Mike O’Loughlin and Colleen, Kid Co-Captain for Team 3

Could it be love?Emily Lucas

Campus celebrities, including men’s varsity basketball players Kendall Marshall, Dexter Strickland, Reggie Bullock, Leslie McDonald and all six members of Blue Steel came to Players for a date auction benefiting N.C. Children’s Hospital Feb. 10. Homecoming King Chase Jones, Senior Class Vice President Justin Tyler and others were also auctioned off for the kids.

March Newsletter 7

Chapel Hill celebrated its first UNC Dance Marathon Day Friday, Feb. 11. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt issued a proclamation recognizing the largest student-run fun-draising organization on UNC’s campus for the work it does for N.C. Children’s Hospital.

“I am so glad the Town of Chapel Hill decided to rec-ognize UNC-DM Day,” said Overall Coordinator Sarah Beth Wilkison.

The event was the second time this year UNC-DM has worked with the town on a large event.

In October, UNC-DM held a booth in Festifall, bringing several student dance groups to perform and teach on the street during the arts festival, and collecting dona-tions for the hospital.

“This was the first year in several that we have worked with the town in promoting UNC Dance Marathon, and while we got started a little late in the game this year, I think this day has great potential,” Wilkison said.

Businesses that participated by donating proceeds included Margaret’s Cantina, donating 5 percent of its sales for the day, Carolina Coffee Shop, donating their cover charge that night, Ben and Jerry’s, donating 10 percent of their proceeds from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and The Yogurt Pump, donating their toppings’ proceeds.

COMMUNITy jOINS FUNDRaISINg EFFORT THROUgH UNC DaNCE MaRaTHON Day

“We donated a portion of our proceeds during the day and had a Vermonster Challenge at night and both went wonderful, as usual,” said Katie Liles, an em-ployee at Ben and Jerry’s. “We do events with UNC-DM all year because it goes toward a wonderful cause. Everyone should get onboard, especially during UNC-DM day.”

The event was a great way for community members to learn about and contribute to the efforts of UNC-DM, which are often directed at students on campus, Wilki-son said.

“I think that having UNC-DM day the week before the marathon was a great way to stir up excitement for our biggest event of the year, though I could definitely see the benefit in having the day earlier in the school year so that we can show our community that UNC students really are working year-round to support this amazing cause,” she said.

“I really hope that UNC-DM Day will become a Chapel Hill tradition and continue to grow in coming years.”

Several other businesses put out donation cans during the day, including Flying Burrito, La Vita Dolce, Fiesta Grill, Coldstone Creamery, Ye Olde Waffle Shop, Italian Pizzeria III and Crêpes Véronique.

Allison Stewart

Becca Brenner

The champions of the annual dodgeball tourna-ment challenge another team at the single-elimin-iation style tournament in Fetzer Gym, Feb. 4. Six-person teams competed for prizes.

1,2,3 Dodgeball!

Olivia Barrow

March Newsletter 8

Dealing with a child who has experienced a form of abuse is hard enough. But for some families, financial strains make the situation even more difficult.

UNC Hospitals’ Beacon Child and Family Program is designed to assist victims of family violence and abuse. Unfortunately, children also fall into this category of victims. The Beacon Grant, funded by UNC-DM, provides coverage for children who would not normally be cov-ered, as well as providing money for gas, food and park-ing for families struggling financially.

“[It] fits well with UNC-DM’s mission to directly ben-efit the patients we stand for,” said Sarah Beth Wilkison, overall coordinator, in an e-mail. “Through this grant, we are able to help ensure that all children suspected of abuse are able to be evaluated so that they can be given the help they need.”

The grant serves children who visit the out-patient clinic, said Patrice Patterson-Garlington, a child abuse social worker with the program. The visit usually includes a doctor’s exam, magnified photography to search for trauma, an exam by a mental health professional and lab work, if needed.

She said she has met many families who are concerned about the cost of the visit, many of whom opt not to follow through with an appointment because of this con-cern. This grant has allowed social workers to assure the

families that cost is not an issue.“There was one mom recently where I actually hand-

ed her the money,” Patterson-Garlington said. “A lot of times it’s the doctors doing that, and she was really re-lieved because she had to come twice and she had to take off work. [She’s] a single mom and we were able to give her $40 to cover gas to and from and she said, ‘You don’t know how much that helps.’”

“It makes people feel better to leave with my card that says, ‘If you get a bill, call me because it’s a mis-take,’” she added.

Wilkison said dealing with the emotional stress is hard enough for these families and additional financial stresses from trips to the hospital make this situation even harder.

“To cope with all of that is too much to ask of any-one,” she said. “And I am so inspired by this organi-zation of college students who have come together in order to alleviate a family’s stress by raising money that will lighten their financial burden.”

Diana Bass, program director, said they struggled for a while with ways to assist families who did not have the money to pay for the programs.

Receiving the grant helped ease this struggle, and also eliminated many concerns with food and travel expens-es, she said.

“We’re really glad you danced for it,” she said.

VICTIMS OF abUSE gET HELP FROM bEaCON CHILD aND FaMILy PROgRaM

COMING IN SUMMER 2011

2012 UNC Dance Marathon grantsDance Marathons across the Nation

UNC Dance Marathon 2012&This volume of The UNC Dance Marathon Newsletter was brought to you by:

Olivia Barrow, Copy Editor Sub-Chair; Victoria Cook, Emily Evans, Margot Pien, Emily Tracy & Jeffrey SullivanIf you have any questions, comments or concerns, contact 2011 Publicity Chair Rebecca Brenner at rbrenner@email.unc.edu.

Victoria Cook