Merrell gave her Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters a final push to reach their $500 goals on the last day for IUDM individual donations.
Per tradition, KKG will send its new members to IUDM to represent the sorority. With a small army of 40 women, Merrell is their spirited general.
“I like to constantly remind them that every day should be for IUDM, not just November 14 to 16, 2014,” she said. “That every day, one more call, one more text, one more email can change a kid’s life.”
Merrell doesn’t describe herself as a peppy person, but when it comes to IUDM, her enthusiasm reaches spirit captain proportions. The effects of Merrell’s weekly chapter pep talks and daily inspirational Facebook videos show as KKG inches toward its $30,000 fundraising goal.
Merrell is one of KKG’s lead contributors, donating $4,300 with help from her corporate sponsor, IDI Composites International.
“If my one phone call can get a new teddy bear for this kid or candy for Halloween for when they trick-or-treat around the hospital (I’ll do it),” she said. “It’s just making it more of a tangible thing is really what people need to see. It’s not just sending another email, it’s putting a smile on someone’s face that might be spending Christmas morning in the hospital.”
IUDM has been ingrained into Merrell after growing up in Noblesville, Ind.
When her high school dance marathon for Riley Hospital fell through because of lack of interest, Merrell was heartbroken, she said.
IU-Bloomington’s collective enthusiasm for IUDM is part of what drew her to campus., she said.
“It’s a school-wide thing and it’s a culture thing,” Merrell said. “That’s one of the reasons I came to IU. Because you can see the change and how committed people are to helping others. You don’t normally see that at a frat party that IU’s known for. But we’re also known for having the second biggest dance marathon in the nation, and that’s something that’s unique to us and something that I think we should be proud of.”
The 40 KKG sisters will dance under two banners, one for their Riley buddy and one for their late sister Ashley Louise Crouse.
“Even though she wasn’t in the house during when I was there and I didn’t know her, she’s still a Kappa,” she said. “She’s still one of us.”
Keeping Crouse’s memory alive is one of Merrell’s goals as she takes over as KKG’s philanthropy chair for the following year. Merrell also plans to introduce incoming members to IUDM immediately, she said.
“Having that position is really going to help next year to not just be another person in the pledge class standing up and inspiring my peers but to be able to do that for the younger girls who don’t know (IUDM) or who didn’t know Ashley,” she said.
Merrell will see her and her sisters’ efforts pay off this weekend as 15 of them endure the 36-hour marathon while the other 25 will participate for an 18-hour shift.
“I just want them to get there and really see what their $500 or their $600, $700 is really going towards,” she said. “I’m not a crier, but when Riley kids and their parents get up and talk about their stories and what we’re doing for them, there’s nothing like it. Absolutely nothing like it.”
