Volunteers serve IUDM through funds, morale

The 46 members of IU’s Dance Marathon morale committee have met every week since January.

They visit high schools, develop and teach IUDM’s famous line dance and keep dancers motivated for 36 hours.

And that’s just one committee.

This year’s dance, which raises funds for the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and end at 8 a.m. Sunday in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

Behind all the dancers who raise money are volunteers to support them. IUDM Committees are responsible for everything from dancer relations to marketing and operations.

“A lot of people don’t really understand when they sign up what exactly they’re going to be doing,” said Michael Essling, senior and president of the morale committee.

“So we just really try to connect with the people and explain to them why we’re there and why they should be excited.”

The 15 committees, on which about 500 students serve, are created at the start of every new year.

But volunteers span more than just committees.

Dancer Group Representatives, commonly referred to as DGRs, are members of the different teams as cheerleaders.

They do not dance but instead raise money, serve as liaisons between the dancers and the executive board and support the dancers during the marathon.

“I’m from Indianapolis. I’m familiar with Riley, and I know what great things they do there,” Kimberly Sons, junior and DGR for Alpha Omicron Pi, said.

“I wanted to continue raising money for them while also helping to get other members of my sorority involved.”

Last summer, Sons fundraised at events in both Bloomington and Indianapolis, posted inspirational stories throughout her sorority house and kept AOPi dancers informed about IUDM.

Sons danced last year but will not be at the marathon all 36 hours this year. Her responsibilities are shared between other members of the house, she said — typically, teams have five or six DGRs.

“I loved dancing so much last year, and we had really good DGRs last year who made my dancing memorable,” Sons said. “I wanted to help other girls have the same wonderful experience I did.”

As the marathon grows, so does its alumni base. Events are planned for volunteers and executive committee members who have graduated, and many continue to raise money.

IU alumna Sarah Franz said she participated in IUDM each year she spent at IU — first as a dancer and later as an executive member. She now lives in Bloomington and said she tries to help whenever she’s needed.

“We have an alumni board, but the organization prides itself on being totally student-run, so the alumni are really just a support network for the student leaders,” Franz said.

In the end, many volunteers said the level of involvement isn’t as important as being involved in the first place.

“Since I graduated, that love for the hospital didn’t go away,” she said. “It’s a really big family that extends even beyond IU.”