At 7:10 a.m. Sunday, students in rainbow tie-dyed shirts, decked out in glitter, tutus, neon-colored wigs and ribbon took their places on the stage and against the walls of the IU Tennis Center, waiting for their cue.
They burst into motion all at once as a mashup of pop songs blasted from the speakers. For 12 minutes, they moved in sync, performing the dance they’d been rehearsing for months.
Hundreds of people gathered in the center of the room, some standing, some singing, some dancing along. Others sat and lay on the floor, blankets wrapped around them while they leaned on their friends with half-opened eyes. Weak cheers rang from the crowd, tinged with excitement despite their rasp after hours of use.
It was hour 35 of the annual IU Dance Marathon, and the dancers from IUDM’s morale committee fought to bring enough energy to the room to keep hundreds of participants awake long enough for the final reveal.
Forty-five minutes later, they were on their feet, anticipation having replaced exhaustion. The crowd chanted, “Kids can’t wait,” and held up their phones to record the 15 people lined up on stage. Members of IUDM’s accounting committee flipped over blank posters one by one, slowly revealing this year’s marathon fundraising total. Finally, they showed the full amount: $3,135,391.23.
This surpassed last year’s total by over $77,000.
IUDM is a 36-hour dance event that takes place at IU every fall to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children, a pediatric acute care facility in Indianapolis. This year’s marathon started at 8 p.m. Friday and lasted until 8 a.m. Sunday, following the reveal.
Thousands of students stayed at the IU Tennis Center during the event. Besides dancing, the marathon included activities such as crafts and games with “Riley buddies,” guest speakers and 5 a.m. yoga on Sunday.
IU students founded IUDM in 1991 to memorialize Ryan White, an Indiana high school student who contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion at 13-years-old. When his diagnosis became public, Ryan was barred from returning to school and faced a multitude of discrimination from his misinformed community. Ryan dedicated his life to advocating for the awareness of the disease before he died in the spring of 1990, just before he was supposed to graduate high school and go on to attend IU.
Since its conception, IUDM has raised over $59 million for Riley and is the second-largest student-run philanthropy organization in the country.
IUDM fully funds three separate endowments at Riley to support the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health. The center is part of the Department of Pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and supports research, education and inpatient and outpatient services for pediatric infectious diseases. The Ryan White Chair in Infectious Disease Endowment and the Ryan White Infectious Disease Endowment support clinical work and research at the center. The Indiana University Dance Marathon Research Endowment guarantees permanent funding for the center.
Today, 75% of IUDM’s donations support research at Riley’s Wells Center for Pediatric Research, while 25% goes toward clinical care. Marathon participants raise money individually, and each committee sets a fundraising goal based on individual member donations.
While students are expected to remain awake for most of the marathon, a lineup of live music, games and a talent show is aimed at keeping spirits high. Plus, the IUDM morale committee is tasked with bringing the energy up. They performed their 12-minute line dance sporadically throughout the marathon.
“The vibes and the energy literally start at 8:01 and it carries you through the marathon,” IU junior and morale committee member Maggie Steward said. “Yes, people are tired and their feet hurt, but you wouldn’t be able to tell, and that’s why I think it’s so special.”
The morale committee is one of 18 committees collectively totaling over 1,200 members that meet year-round to ensure the marathon’s success. Each committee falls under one of four main categories: communications, internal, finance and membership.
Junior Ella Self is director of the public relations committee, and this was her last marathon before graduating early. Self was a triplet born prematurely and spent the first two months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit at Riley. After fundraising for Riley throughout high school, she now helps lead IUDM’s communication efforts.
“I want people to leave knowing that they're doing something that's not normal for college students,” Self said. “To take so much time out of your life to benefit the welfare of others is so rare, and I want people to remember how special that is.”
During the marathon, guest speakers including former Riley patients and their loved ones came up on stage to share their experiences. Rose Black told the story of her son, Vincent, on Sunday morning. Vicent’s journey at Riley began when he stopped breathing shortly after birth.
He was born with severe disabilities and had about 100 surgeries, but lived to be 42. Black said Riley’s care allowed Vincent to live a full life despite challenges, and he always met each day with joy and faith.
Vincent danced in two marathons, one in which he spent all 36 hours in a wheelchair. Black thanked IUDM participants for the work they do to ensure more people like Vincent can live the life they deserve.
Sophomore Nora Flickinger is a member of the marathon relations committee, which works with high school dance marathons across the state to continue IUDM’s mission.
“Every single drop in the bucket counts,” Flickinger said. “And if you're here for an hour, if you're here for 36, if you raise $10 or $150 million, every single penny counts and being a part of something greater than yourself will outlast every single little thing you could do.”
At 7:30 a.m. Sunday, IUDM President Matt McCormick gave an address before the total reveal. He commemorated the marathon’s purpose, impact and all the people who helped make it happen.
“In a few moments, the final total will be raised, the music will fade and the Tennis Center will slowly empty out,” McCormick said in his speech. “But what happened here, the memories, the hope, the love, will stay with each of us.”
