BobcaThon dance marathon hopes to raise money for Ronald McDonald House through 12 hours of dancing.
Twelve hours of dancing. No sitting allowed.
That’s what the first ever BobcaThon is advertising as it attempts to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Central Ohio.
The event will begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday and those signed up will stay constantly on their feet, either dancing or participating in games. Dancers were asked to raise $100 dollars to participate through the event’s FirstGiving fundraising site. The marathon will end at 12 a.m. that same night, all occurring in Baker University Center.
The Ronald McDonald House is an international organization that provides housing for children with serious illnesses and their families.
“We have so many families from Athens county staying at (Ronald McDonald House) and it’s just such a wonderful organization to give to because you’re not only giving back to the community but you’re giving back to people around the world,” said Mackenzie Leskovec, president and a senior studying child life.
Since February 2014, the group has been planning for the dance marathon, as well as holding smaller fundraising events. With the event quickly approaching, Leskovec and Jocelyn Chui, director of events and a senior studying communications, both agreed there was a lot to get done in the last few days.
So far, about 135 dancers are signed up, including the executive board and morale leaders.
Anna Seethaler, a sophomore studying communication studies, said she heard about the dance marathon through being a part of Student Alumni Board.
“I’m really excited because a lot of the fundraising has been behind the scenes so I’m excited to see all of other people who have been raising money and meet them and get to spend 12 hours with them,” Seethaler said.
Seethaler is largest fundraiser for the event so far, with 23 donors backing her and $1,059 raised. She said she marketed through social media.
The concept is not a new one, and similar college campuses host marathons. Penn State University’s “Thon” raised $13.34 million in 2014 and lasted 46 hours.
“(I want to see it progress by) definitely every year trying to raise more money than the year before,” Chui said. “Just trying to progress the hours (to make it longer).”
There will be events and activities throughout the day like playing human Jenga with large boxes, putting individuals in “jail” with donations as their only bail and themed music hours.
Families from the Ronald McDonald House will also be in attendance. The event will also celebrate one of the children’s birthday, Leskovec said.
“It’s going to be such a high energy event so getting to see the smiles that it brings to their faces is going to be really rewarding,” Seethaler said.
Other sponsors of the event include Donkey Coffee, Texas Roadhouse and Courtside Pizza. Other student organizations also teamed up to help out, such as Greek life and specifically Alpha Delta Pi, whose philanthropy is also aimed toward the Ronald McDonald House.
“I think the most difficult part about it is that it is our first time and we don’t know what people want to expect, but we want everyone to have the best time possible,” Leskovec said.
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