This past weekend, more than 2,500 IU students participated in the 36-hour IU Dance Marathon. Together, they donated $3,206,340.22 to Riley.
As the nation’s second largest student-run philanthropic event, IUDM is an integral part of the IU-Bloomington campus. The letters FTK are seen year-round on T-shirts, laptop stickers and signs.
For the Riley development committee, though, FTK is more than a logo.
The Riley Development committee’s responsibilities extend past the marathon weekend to months and even years prior and afterward.
Committee members are assigned Riley buddies with whom they visit, play with and build relationships.
The Riley development committee plans events throughout the year for the Riley families, including Easter egg hunts, field trips to the Children’s Museum, Riley at the Rock football games and baby showers for mothers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“The fundraising is obviously important for IUDM,” sophomore committee member Aaron Welcher said. “It’s amazing the totals we get, but it’s also important to remember why we do this, and I really think that’s what embodies Riley (development).”
The 72 Riley development committee members transform from college students to tutors, babysitters, role models and even superheroes. For them, FTK is more than the $116,548.19 they raised as a team.
For junior committee member Chris Johnson, FTK is posting one more embarrassing “Fat Chris” photo on Facebook to push past his fundraising plateau.
For every donation, Johnson posted a photo of himself during his awkward adolescence. As the donations and demand increased, Johnson’s photos became more embarrassing, featuring him in early 2000s fashion and a prepubescent chubby phase.
“If I can raise money for IUDM doing this, why not?” Jonhson said.
Johnson embraced the pain, all while keeping in mind his new Riley buddy, Matt.
Matt was born 22 weeks premature, which made it unlikely that he would be able to walk.
After spending time at Riley, Matt is now healthy and athletic and plans to take tennis lessons at the IU Tennis Center.
“Thirty-six hours is a long time, and one of the things that kept me going, and one of the reasons that I do IUDM, is just for these kids,” Johnson said. “What they’ve been through is unbelievable. They’re unbelievably brave.”
For senior Riley development member Ryan DesCamp, FTK means donning a Superman cape and taking on the role of not only buddy, but big brother.
DesCamp has watched his Riley buddy, Hayden, grow up through IUDM. The two have danced, smiled and bounced together through three marathons and five open-heart surgeries.
Hayden was diagnosed with anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery and mitral valve regulation. This means he has a mechanical valve in his heart.
As Hayden grows, the valve must be replaced to keep up with his size.
Last year, Hayden underwent his fifth open-heart surgery right before the 2013 dance marathon. To show support, DesCamp and his committee sent Hayden photos of themselves holding up good luck signs.
“This is the committee where you’re actually able to connect with the kids, so I felt a strong draw to it because I’ve always loved kids,” DesCamp said.
For members such as senior Liz Wadas, FTK means adopting a second family.
“You see firsthand what your money is going towards and just why you do this,” Wadas said. “It’s not even about the money, it’s about these kids who get to come here.”
Wadas and her buddy, Zoe, have become inseparable during the past two years.
As Bloomington residents, Zoe and her sister, Frankie, are frequent visitors of the Delta Gamma house. Wadas and her sorority sisters have adopted Zoe as their chapter’s Riley buddy.
This means monthly family dinners at the DG house, campus tours and even collaborative group efforts for Zoe’s science project.
This intimate relationship has shaped Zoe, her mother, Cheryl Allen, said.
“I love it because it gives them someone to look up to,” Allen said. “It’s shaping them into the kids I want them to be. These kids (IU students), I don’t think they can comprehend the good they do for all these kids.”
The dance marathon has made Zoe a local celebrity. From modeling in IUDM fashion shows to being featured in the 2014 IUDM promo video, the Bloomington community has followed her through her battle with cystic fibrosis for the past two years.
The 2014 IUDM will be the final marathon Wadas and Zoe spend together as buddies, but this doesn’t mean their friendship will end.
“Zoe’s in my life, and I’m in her life,” Wadas said.
