Laura Felicetti, director of recruitment, outreach and admissions for the Hutton Honors College, said it was her idea to create the new IUDM team.
“Part of my job is about outreach, and while it’s meant for alumni, I thought it would be a good idea to invest in the future alumni of Hutton and get them involved in events going on at IU,” she said.
Felicetti said 42 people have signed up to be on the inaugural Hutton IUDM team and that the team is predominantly freshmen. She said she is very pleased to see how many people have signed up to participate.
Kristen Swanson, a sophomore in the honors college, said she is very excited to participate in the dance marathon for the first time.
“I’m from Indianapolis, so I know a bunch of people who have been in Riley,” Swanson said. “Participating in the IUDM is a good way for me to give back for all they’ve done.”
Sophomore Hutton Honors student Petr Sliva said hearing the Riley kids talk about their experiences and dancing for 18 hours will allow him to better understand what each of the patients must undergo every day.
Felicetti said the IUDM team will plan social events aside from raising money to build community prior to dancing together for 18 or 36 hours.
Freshman Stefan Dalecki said he participated in dance marathons all four years during his high school career at Bloomington High School South. He said he knew he wanted to participate in IUDM when he chose IU.
“My choice to get involved with the team was rather impulsive,” he said. “At the Hutton Honors College dance marathon call-out meeting, the speaker asked who wanted to be the team captain, and I raised my hand.”
Dalecki said the team will have events to increase the flow of donations and raise money toward sponsoring a dancer.
“Participating in dance marathon means that I am helping to make a difference in the lives of those who are patients at Riley Hospital for Children,” he said. “It is great to see the collective efforts of all participants towards this great cause.”
IU students can join the Hutton Honors College dance marathon team by emailing huttonhonorscollegedm@gmail.com . The team is open to anyone who wants to join, not just Hutton Honors students, Dalecki said.
