IUDM hits greek community members on a personal level

Sophomore Kelly Thompson would not be here without Riley Hospital.

Thompson was born with a hole the size of a pea in the left atrium of her heart. By the time she was 7, the hole had grown to the size of a nickel, and she needed heart surgery at Riley. Thompson said the one thing she remembers most about her hospital experiences is the people.

“The doctors treat you like a person and not just a patient,” Thompson said.

She also said she kept in contact with the nurse who stayed by her side during her heart surgery.

This weekend’s IU Dance Marathon, a 36-hour event where students, patients and parents dance to promote awareness, will raise money for the Ryan White Infectious Disease Center at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis so more of Riley’s kids can have a happy ending like Thompson. Last year’s event raised more than $1 million.

A member of Kappa Alpha Theta, this year is Thompson’s first time taking part in IUDM. While participants in the marathon do not have to be part of a greek organization, the majority of houses participate in the fundraiser.

Like many other members of the greek community, Thompson raised money to dance by sending out letters and collecting money around Indianapolis and Bloomington.

Thompson said being a patient at Riley had a big effect on her fundraising efforts and she looks forward to the marathon.

“I know firsthand what it’s like to be a kid in Riley and what it’s like to survive being in Riley,” Thompson said. “It’s going to be such a touching 36 hours of my life.”

Most IUDM participants have not experienced Riley like Thompson has, so they are inspired in different ways.

External Vice President of IUDM Casey Crouse, a native of Carmel, Ind., has been part of the dance marathon since high school, when he participated in Carmel High School’s first dance marathon. Along with IU, the school is part of the Riley Dance Marathon Program.

But the main reason Crouse has put years of effort into IUDM is in memory of his sister, Ashley Crouse, who died in a car accident in 2005. She was on the IUDM executive council, and Casey Crouse said his sister put much of her time into the organization.

“She was absolutely obsessed with IUDM,” Casey Crouse said. “Every time I talked to her, that’s usually what she was talking about.”

Ashley Crouse has become one of the faces of IUDM. Many advertisements, T-shirts and events have featured her name. Casey Crouse said he probably would have chosen to support IUDM even without his sister’s involvement, but now she serves as his inspiration.

“It’s just me doing something to show her legacy and that she was a great person and that the cause of IUDM is something bigger than ourselves,” Casey Crouse said.

Casey Crouse is a member of Phi Gamma Delta, which has made IUDM the focus of its philanthropy. Phi Gamma Delta president and senior Joel McNabney said a big part of the fraternity’s involvement stems from Ashley Crouse.

“One of the presidents from Fiji was the boyfriend of Ashley, who got in the fatal accident,” McNabney said. “Ashley’s brother then joined our house, so we have intimate relationships with the marathon.”

McNabney said knowing Casey Crouse and the purpose of Riley Hospital is all the motivation he needs to commit time to IUDM.

“Riley Hospital takes care of the very sickest kids in Indiana,” McNabney said. “It’s certainly hard to think of a more just cause.”