UNF students raise mega funds for CMN Hospitals

A Dance Marathon at the University of North Florida (UNF) raised $38,385.26 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at its ninth annual 12 hour and 9-minute event to raise runds and awareness for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville.  The marathon took place on Saturday, April 1, 2017.  Proceeds will benefit the two local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals - Wolfson Children’s Hospital and the pediatric programs at UF Health Jacksonville.

In honor of all children being treated at the local CMN Hospitals, students stood on their feet for 12 hours and 9 minutes.  The 12 hours signify the typical shift of dedicated hospital staff while the 9 minutes tributes the event’s ninth year in the Jacksonville community.  To keep dancers motivated, miracle children impacted by the hospitals made special visits throughout the day to share their unique journey and interact with all participants.  There were games, entertainment and, of course, dancing!

The week prior, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Club at Ponte Vedra High School hosted its second annual Dance Marathon in the school gym.  Planned by a philanthropic focused committee made up of various high school students and led by overall chair, Hays Molm, this five-and-a-half-hour event raised $8,004.75!

Dance Marathon is a nationwide movement involving college and high school students at more than 300 schools. These students spend a year learning invaluable leadership and life skills while raising funds and interacting with children’s hospital patients and families. More students participate in Dance Marathon than any other student-led philanthropy in the United States. Since its founding in 1991, this movement has raised more than $80 million for CMN Hospitals.