The university's annual 24-hour dance marathon raised more than $212,000 for Duke Children's Hospital.
It was a great weekend for a tour at Elon. As groups of potential Elon students filed in on the weekend of April 12-13 they were immediately greeted by circus themed decorations, loud music, carnival games and more than 1,000 dedicated Elon students and staff members. ELONTHON—Elon’s 24-hour dance marathon— was in full bloom!
ELONTHON is a 24-hour dance marathon that raises money for Duke Children’s Hospital. The whole idea is that students are standing for the children who can’t; hence the reason that sitting during the 24 hours is taboo. This year, ELONTHON had a circus theme and Alumni Gym was decorated with a balloon tent, circus animals, photo booths and more. Students were called to “step right up” and rally for the kids.
This year, ELONTHON was more successful than it has ever been. Executive Director Allie Weller says, “This ELONTHON was the biggest and best yet! I was so thrilled to see nearly 1,500 people coming together for such a wonderful cause- the kids at Duke Children’s! I am proud of Elon students for raising over $212,000 for the hospital. I know it will make a huge difference, and I can’t wait to see how this event grows even bigger in the future.” This year, the ELONTHON Executive Board worked extremely hard to implement new, fresh ideas to help make ELONTHON appeal to the masses, and boy, did that hard work pay off! Some of the newest additions include: Donor Drive (a fundraising website), healthy and filling meals during the event, interactive entertainment/ gaming systems, an inspiration tent for students to write notes to the miracle children, more miracle families who shared their stories and the ever-popular opportunity for dancers to spend some time outside during the event. In addition to some crowd favorites such as zumba and the fabulous magician, Michal Casey, ELONTHON was chock-full of fun, variety and lots of the Morale dance!
There is no better feeling than sharing the total with everyone who has dedicated such time and effort to this amazing cause. When the $212,728.20 total was revealed, jaws dropped, cheers started and tears ran at the realization that this total is more than double what was raised last year. There are so many people who made this event everything that it was, and it would take an eternity to thank them all, but know that for all of you ELONTHON-ers out there, the kids are thanking you. Way to be 110% FTK.
Interested in getting involved with ELONTHON?
Take a look at the 2014 Executive Board application or contact Liz Jester at cjester2@elon.edu