unc-dm november 2011 newsletter

8/3/2019 UNC-DM November 2011 Newsletter

1/5

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

V

OLUME3:ISSUE4

DANCER RECRUITMENT WEEKNOVEMBER 7-11Sign up to be a dancer in the 14th UNCDance MarathonSign up in the Pit you cant miss us.

Monthly Social: This months socialwas held Oct. 16. The theme wassuperheroes and the kids made theirown capes and masks.

Parents Night Out: EveryTuesday night, from 5 p.m. to 6:30p.m., UNC-DM served dinner on the 6thoor of N.C. Childrens Hospital. Checkout pictures from Oct. 4here.

Healthy Steps: UNC-DM was in theGeneral Pediatric Clinic multiple dayseach week. Committee members readand played Nintendo Wii and DanceDance Revolution with the kids.

Pediatric Playroom: FundraisingProjects committee hosted a fallfestival in the playroom this month.Committee members helped patientscreate fall door hangers for their

rooms.

Read our rst-of-the-month blog post to

learn how UNC-DM has inuenced graduates

in their current jobs. This month we are

featuring 2009 Entertainment committee

chair Moll Moer. Click the link under

I Sp: A UNC-DM Flashback.

[GrantRant]Learn the ins and outs of one of the nine

new grants we have made possible for N.C.

Childrens Hospital. This month we feature

the pediatric genetics and metabolism

grant that provides emergenc formula to

families.

Each month meet a UNC student who is im-pacted b N.C. Childrens Hospital. In

this issue, read how senior Paige Ganem is

inuenced b her sororit and close friend.

Each month, read about one of the man

events we put on throughout the ear. In

this issue, learn about Outreach commit-

tees collaboration with Scroggs Elemen-

tar School to put on a mini-marathon.[Mission365]a year-round effort

[HospitalInspiration]for UNC-DM Dedication

Steve Jobs

I had been nominated for the Medal

of Honor. I have been so nominated

seven times. I have never won. Still,

seven times, that is something.

Tweet the movie this quote

is from and well take your

suggestion for the next spy

movie quote!

This months quote comes from

morale committee member Will

Thomason who guessed last

months Spy Kids quote.

"And most important, have the courage

to follow your heart and intuition. They

somehow already know what you truly want

to become. Everything else is secondary."

[ZeroedIn]Where are they noW?

Page V

Page iii & iV

Page iV

Page ii

unC-dMs iMPaCt

@allisunrae 15 OctAllison Rae Stewart

a hero Who Made his Mission Possible

So thankful to all of the @UNCDMvolunteers at the Scroggs Mini-

Marathon! @UNCDM_outreach to-

tally rocked it today with thosekiddos! #FTK

soCial netWork
http://bit.ly/pDsaXWhttp://bit.ly/pDsaXWhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/41998470@N05/sets/72157627722316569/http://www.flickr.com/photos/41998470@N05/sets/72157627722316569/http://bit.ly/pDsaXWhttp://bit.ly/pDsaXW


2/5

Operation

When I rst applied, I just wantedto be involved. Campus Fundraising

committee was a great experiencebecause you get to impact everyoneon campus.

Q: How are you strongly tied toN.C. Childrens Hospital?

A: I have a friend, Dylan Price,who is 14 and in the hospitalreceiving treatment for leukemia.Hes been in and out of the hospitalsince January. Recently, he learned

he received a bone marrow donor andwill receive the transplant in November.I couldnt be more excited.

Q: What does Dylan think about

your involvement with UNC-DM?

A: Dylan loves the playroom andhis parents love Parents NightOut (which is a UNC-DM sponsoredprogram that provides free hotmeals to patients and families onTuesday nights) . They only havewonderful things to say aboutUNC-DM. They know a lot of thingshappen at the hospital because ofthe marathons efforts. Theyre

really appreciative.

Q: What does this extra

A senior biology major from Greensboro,

N.C., Paige Ganem found a cause inwhich she wanted to be a part of

while walking through the Pit. She

became involved with UNC Dance

Marathon as a rst-year. She soon

became connected to N.C. Childrens

Hospital through other avenues: her

sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and

her good friend Dylan Price, who is

receiving treatment for leukemia at

the hospital. Paige served on Campus

Fundraising committee her rst-year

and Hospital committee her sophomoreyear. This year she will be a fourth-

year dancer. Continue reading to nd

out how Paiges extra connection

to UNC-DM has strengthened her

passion for the cause.

Q: Why did you get involved with

UNC-DM?

A: When I was a rst-year, I saw

all of the crazy people in the Pit,and I thought joining UNC-DM wouldbe fun. Once I learned more aboutthe cause, I knew it was somethingI wanted to stay involved in. Mysorority, Tri Sigma, funds the RobbiePage Memorial Playroom in thehospital, so its all interconnected.

Q: How did you decide whichcommittees to serve on?

A: I always wanted to be a partof Hospital committee because mygoal has been to work in a hospital.

photo Courtesy of Paige ganem | Paige Ganem will be a fourth-year dancer at the 2012 UNCDance Marathon. Her connection to N.C. Childrens Hospital has inspired her.

DEDICATIONq&a with Paige Ganem | one cause, three connectionsconnection to the hospital mean

to you?

A: You can dance and raise money

for anything, but to be in thehospital with someone that says,Thank you for dinner, or I love theplayroom, it makes me stop thinkingabout the fact I have cancer, isrewarding. I know Dylan is genuinelyappreciative of UNC-DM and itmakes me want to keep on dancing.

Q: Can you see your experienceswith UNC-DM helping you in thefuture?

A: Ive made a lot of connectionsthrough fundraising. Last year Iwas one of the top dancers, so Iveset my sights really high this year.My goal is to raise $3,000. Peoplefrom my hometown, Greensboro,N.C., are becoming more interestedbecause of the connection to Dylan.

With a group as large as UNC-DM, alot of skills and leadership go intohaving the marathon be a success.

Q What does the whole causemean to you?

A It inspires me that my passionsare shared by a lot of people on thiscampus and that the cause reallydoes affect people. The money we

raise truly helps the hospital and itsgreat to see that students can reallymake a difference.

| m t


3/5

OPERATIONMini-Marathon

As I walked into SroggsElementarySchool on Oct. 14, I was unaware ofwhat to expect from the two-hourmini-marathon that I was to be apart of. Were elementary schoolstudents going to understand why

a group of college students were attheir school, asking them to danceand make cards for sick children?However, only two hours later, I leftthe school in awe of the children

I had met and so excited about

their understanding of UNC DanceMarathon and the beautiful causewe support improving the lives ofkids like them.

The Scroggs Elementary School

mini-marathon was the rst of theUNC-DM Outreach committeeselementary school mini-marathons

this year. The Outreach committeebegan these events to increasecommunity awareness and supportfor UNC-DM and N.C. ChildrensHospital.

At the Scroggs mini-marathon,

the elementary school students

traveled to eight different stations

where they participated in scooterrelays, made cards for children in

the hospital, played basketball andother games and, of course, danced.Haley Hamilton, a rst-year on theOutreach committee, helped withthe dancing station and enjoyed

seeing the kids moves. Itsamazing to see all the energy they

put into it, she said.

Senior Allison Stewart, an

Outreach committee sub-chair,was in charge of organizing the

Scroggs mini-marathon. Before eachdancing station, Stewart explainedUNC-DM and why we dance to

each new group of kids. We getto help people by having fun, sheexplained. We dance for 24 hours-do you think you can dance for 15

minutes? Soon after this questionwas posed, widespread dancingensued on the stage in the schools

gymnasium.The Outreach committee will

hold four mini-marathons this

year. Both Scroggs and McDougleElementary hosted mini-marathons

last year and this year. EphesusElementary School will have its

rst-ever mini-marathon this year,and a joint mini-marathon betweenFrank Porter Graham Elementary

and Glenwood Elementary is in theworks as well.

The Scroggs marathon occurred

photo BY AMELIA WARD | A student at Scroggs races across the gym, enjoying one of the sta-

tions run by UNC-DM volunteers.

MINI-MARATHON CONNECTS ELEMENTARy SCHOOL STUDENTS TO UNC-DM CAUSE

| Jd s

during the schools after-schoolprogram, in wich more than 100students are enrolled.

The kids that I met at the mini-marathon were unique and had theirown way of supporting UNC-DM.For example, rst-grader Grifnliked to show off his dance moves,which included the worm andthe swaying tree. Then there wasEvelyn, who was shy and not sure

if she wanted to dance, but loved

showing off her hula hoop skills.Eight-year-old Kieran, a sciencebuff, showed the card he made for achild at the hospital decorated withwhite blood cells outsmarting germsin the battle for childrens health.

I also played four square withJack and soon realized that heknew more about UNC-DM than Ihad thought. When I asked him if heknew why we were there, he madeit clear he did. Oh yeah, I know!I was in the NICU, he said. I soonrealized that Jack was the same boywho comes to the marathon each

year with his mother, who shares his

story to dancers. Jack has been akid co-captain for a dancer team atpast marathons. His knowledge andconnection with UNC-DM is strong

and affects his peer elementaryschool students.

I also met Grace, whose story

brought tears to the eyes of manyUNC-DM committee members atthe mini-marathon. She was making


4/5

GRANT RANTCorbie and Rachel Hill know rst-hand just

how important UNC Dance Marathon grants canbe. After their 18-month-old daughter, Sarah, wasborn, she was diagnosed with a metabolic geneticdisorder. Sarah was was given a special formula,without which she could develop permanent

brain damage and suffer mental retardation.Budget cuts have caused N.C. Childrens

Hospital to discontinue its emergency stock offormula for families who either could not afford

to pay for their childrens formula or forgot toplace an order, according to Surekha Pendyal, aregistered Dietician in the Division of Genetics

and Metabolism at N.C. Childrens Hospital.The Division of Pediatrics Genetics and

Metabolism receives UNC-DM grant money toprovide emergency metabolic formula.

We are usually pretty good about lling the

order for Sarahs formula, said Corbie Hill.One week we forgot, but through the UNC-DMgrant there was an emergency supply on hand

to provide us with formula to get us through thenext week. There was no other option than thisemergency supply, and we are so grateful.

According to Pendyal, families recieve alimited supply from state funds, and UNC-DMfunds prevent children from going without these

life-saving formulas.The Division of Pediatric Genetics at N.C.

Childrens Hospital was the rst genetic programin North Carolina and one of the rst in thecountry. Today, through newborn screenings, thehospital is able to detect if a child is born with ametabolic disorder. If a detection is positive, aninfant is placed on formula that cost $100 to $200a week, an expense not covered by insurance.Without this formula, enzymes build up in thebrain and can lead to life-long disabilities.

UNC-DM is a stop-gap measure, said Cynthia

Powell, division chief of pediatric genetics andmetabolism. Without the grant money, wewould not be able to provide on-the-spot formula

for over a week. Now we have extra formula on-hand so children do not suffer and toxic levels do

not build up.The grant also funds a Spanish-speaking

translator to help one-fourth to one-third offamilies who visit the hospital that speak only

Spanish or minimal English.This year we have been able to hire a

bilingual social worker. She has been a huge helpin meeting a variety of social work needs forfamilies, Pendyal said.

The grant money also helps fund theproduction of newsletters that help families withsimilar disorders stay in touch with the clinic.

We really appreciate UNC-DMs commitmentto our patients and families. This is the bestproject students are doing on campus and itbenets hundreds. We, the clinicians, can count

on your support when money is so tight to carefor our children, Pendyal said.

Division of PeDiatric Genetics anD MetabolisM

OPERATIONMinia card for a child at the hospital and revealedthat she was not a stranger to the idea of kidsspending their childhoods in the hospital. Heryounger brother has cancer and has been in N.C.Childrens Hospital many times before. Gracetold her group that some kids in the hospitaldo not have much food, but UNC-DM helps withthe situation. The words on the card Gracemade read, I know what you feel like. My littlebrother has cancer. Its OK. Your parents willprotect you.

These kids and countless others remindedme of the impact UNC-DM can have on peopleof any age, not just college-aged students. The

mini-marathon helped bring the message of ourorganization to the volunteers and parents of thechildren, but to also the children themselves.

Stewart expressed this best as she describedthe extent to which the elementary school

students grasped UNC-DM and its cause.I feel like a lot of people dont give

elementary schoolers enough credit. But a lotof these kids have been in the hospital, havesiblings who have or friends who have. They getit. They know what cancer is. They understand,she said.

PHoto By ameLia WarD | UNC-DM Outreach committee mem-ber Sarah Maclean and a Scroggs mini-marathoner dance.

| el tc


5/5

I joined Dance Marathon because one of myfriends was doing it. I had so much fun at themarathon that I knew I had to get involved.

Molly Moyer, reecting on her timewith UNC-DM. Moyer was UNC-DMs 2009Entertainment chair.Click below to read the story on the blog.

Next Issue Learn About

Dancer Recruitment Week (DRW)recap

Grant Rant: Pediatric Nursing-

Rocking Gliders

Another UNC-DM Flashback

If you have any questions,

comments, concerns, please

contact 2012 Publicity ChairOlivia Barrow at

[email protected].

Last year, Eric and the DiMarzios took thestage at the 2011 UNC Dance Marathon afterwinning UNC-DMs annual Battle of the Bands.The folk/rock band from Chapel Hill consistsof Eric DiMarzio, Will Lutter, Will Wright, ChrisWright and Rushi Gajjar.

The experience was incredible, said singerEric DiMarzio, a UNC graduate. The audiencewas made up of people youd expect to see atthe marathon: energetic, friendly and slightly

insane.After performing at the marathon, Eric and

the DiMarzios had a different, more positiveoutlook of UNC-DM.

It was an eye-opening experience. ... Inever really understood the appeal of it before.After being a part of the event, I see now howall that energy and enthusiasm spills over intothe service UNC-DM does and the causes it

supports. I think we should be that passionateabout helping people, DiMarzio said.

According to the band, the group has everyintention of performing at the marathonagain this year. It recently played at 2011UNC Homecoming show, opening for the NewPornographers.

For more information about Eric and theDiMarzios, visit the bands Facebook page.

Where did the dart land

unC-dM PerforMer

Correction: In the October

Newsletter, we said

UNC-DM is in the

General Pediatric

Clinic Monday,

Wednesday and Friday.

UNC-DM is present in

the clinic every day.

Stephanie is a six-year-old with cystic

brosis who has experienced multiple medicalcomplications since birth.She and her parents travel eight hours round

trip to N.C. Children's Hospital for regularclinic visits at least four times each year. BothStephanie's mother and father work outside ofthe home to support her and as a result thefamily does not qualify for many assistance programs.

The health insurance Stephanie receivesthrough her parents has high co-pays and co-

insurance, leaving the family perpetually behind

on paying bills.When she is not sick, Stephanie's medicationsstill cost several hundred dollars each month, not

including antibiotics. The family does not haveenough money to pay its property taxes.

Through the generosity of the For the Kidsfund, the family received assistance with its

property taxes for this year, allowing it to catchup on its other bills.

For the kids story

Zeroed in: Where are they noW?

PHoto By miCHeLLe K asPraK | Eric and the DiMarziosperform at UNC-DM 2011.

| Jd s
mailto:obarrow12%40gmail.com?subject=UNC-DM%20October%20Newsletterhttp://www.facebook.com/EricAndTheDiMarzioshttp://uncdm.wordpress.com/http://uncdm.wordpress.com/http://www.facebook.com/EricAndTheDiMarziosmailto:obarrow12%40gmail.com?subject=UNC-DM%20October%20Newsletterhttp://uncdm.wordpress.com/

unc-dm november 2011 newsletter

Documents