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Beginning on Wednesday, March 22nd all IUDM Committees participated in the first ever, “Oh! The Places The Riley Wagon Will Go” competition to see who could collect donations from all 50 states. The goal of the race is to collect donations anywhere upwards of $5 with a postal code from each US state. Each committee bonds as they collectively work together to reach out all across America for donations. Some committees have taken it a step further by placing side bets to see who can collect donations from all 50 states first. For example, Public Relations and Stewardship’s directors will receive embarrassing punishments such as a pie in the face if their committee cannot reach all the states before the other. Dancer Relations was the first committee to get all 50 states, but each committee is still working toward getting a donation from every state. Although the money is fundraised by separate committees, it will all go towards the final total that will be announced at the 36-hour dance marathon held on November 10-12. This is one of the first ways the members of Indiana University Dance Marathon Committees are kicking off Riley Week, which begins this Monday, March 27. Reach out to distant relatives and friends because the race is on to help the kids! FTK, Karlie VanHouten
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On Saturday, March 4th all Indiana University Dance Marathon Committees got together for one big night of fun and dancing at Tacky Prom.
It was a great way to start off the new IUDM year and get to know each other better. The tackiest prom attire was worn and the best memories were made. You could be on the Public Relations committee but met your new BFF who’s on Morale. Everyone embraced the opportunity to go to prom one more time. Each IUDM committee nominated a King and Queen candidate from their committee, and Executive Dancers DJ and Claire were crowned the 2017 Tacky Prom King and Queen! Everyone got a 2-hour dance practice in before the big 36-hour marathon, which is on November 10-12. (Exactly 249 days away, mark your calendars!) The event sold out at $15 per ticket. The ticket money was added to each individual purchasers fundraising page! We still have so much time until the big dance marathon, which means so many opportunities to raise more money. Spread the word because every bit counts! ❤ FTK always, Kelsey Blaylock As exciting as it is, the days leading up to Dance Marathon can be full of stress and not knowing what to expect. Your mind is probably full of questions like: “How many snacks is too many snacks?” or, “ How am I going to be able to stay on my feet for hours on end if I can barely even make it to the bus stop without being out of breath?” and most likely, “What do I even bring to this shindig?” Well, have no fear because I’m going to share my top 10 tips to keep you alive and afloat for this year’s marathon:
Dance Marathon is an incredible experience, but it can be difficult. Make your life easier and your experience more enjoyable by coming prepared! FTK, RW, ALC, Amanda Kelly While all of our amazing dancers, committee members, and directors contribute something incredible and valuable to IUDM, every once in a while, a member of our family will do something outrageous and inspiring to remind us all what this thing is all about, and exactly why we work so hard all year-round to raise money for the kids at Riley Hospital for Children. This last week, those members were Elyse Appelblatt and Maggie Magnotta, who ran the BOOM Shakalaka Half Marathon last weekend in Indianapolis. Elyse, Culture Chair of the Public Relations committee, and Maggie, Operations Co-Chair of the Logistics committee, met through Student Athletic Board their freshman year at IU. They now serve together on SAB’s executive board, but both girls agree that their mutual passion for IUDM has brought them even closer. After last year’s Hoosier Half Marathon, the two girls joked about running a half marathon themselves. Soon, they decided the idea wasn’t so crazy after all, and they signed up for the BOOM Shakalaka Half Marathon together, which would take place just a few months later. They knew it would be hard, as neither of them were avid runners at the time of this decision, but as Elyse put it, “If it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t have been worth doing”. They would need some serious motivation to reach their goal, but they also knew this motivation wouldn’t be hard to find. Appelblatt found her motivation and inspiration in the same place that many IUDM-ers do: through the life and legacy of Ashley Louise Crouse. “I don’t think there was any better motivation than running the half in honor of #ImForAsh,” Elyse told me. Similarly, Maggie found her inspiration and motivation in the kids at Riley, explaining, “We obviously weren’t going to do something as crazy as run a half marathon, if it wasn’t FTK”. The girls also motivated each other all summer long by sending each other “sweaty selfies” as proof that they had run that day, as well as motivational quotes and stories of other IUDM family members doing great things FTK, to motivate each other to keep going. As for during the race, Maggie found a unique way to keep herself motivated: “After reading a blog about marathon runners, I saw that people write something on their arm for each mile that keeps them going, so when I started my ’13 donations for 13 miles’ challenge, that’s what I had in mind, writing 13 names of 13 individual donors. The donations started pouring in, and every person sent me a note telling me good luck on the race.” With Ash’s legacy and four months of training together behind them, Maggie and Elyse were excited and ready to start running come race day. Before the race, they decided to listen to Casey Crouse’s Presidential Address, a speech that is near and dear to the hearts of many IUDM participants and alums. “I must have listened to that 100 times in my life,” Magnotta said, “but nothing like that moment...a sense of calm came over me.” A few of Casey’s words especially resonated with Maggie in that moment: She was with you every step of the way. “Those words kept playing in my head throughout the entire 13 miles, and helped me each time I started to doubt myself,” Maggie recalls. As the race went on, Ashley’s legacy just became more and more motivating. At mile 6, Elyse blew out her knee. “I wanted to quit a thousand times after that,” she recalls, “but every time I looked down at my #ImForAsh shirt, I was motivated to keep going”. With that strength and inspiration inside them, Elyse and Maggie finished all 13.1 miles together. Now, a week after completing their first half marathon, the girls have had plenty of time to recover and to reflect on the “indescribable” experience. Maggie says that the biggest takeaway for her was the sense of community. “The amount of love that was shown to Elyse and me on the day of the run was amazing. People from all different committees and even friends from other dance marathons, were wishing us luck,” she said. Her favorite messages of support were the ones she received during the race, telling them to keep going and that they could do this. Maggie explained, “This experience really just affirmed to me that there is so much love in this organization and people in it will support you no matter if it’s a bad day or 13 miles.” As Elyse puts it, “it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’d do it again tomorrow. It was an indescribable experience to realize that your body and your mind can endure so much more than you ever thought possible”. Congratulations on finishing your first half marathon, ladies! Thanks for inspiring us every day, and always working to keep the legacy of Ashley Louise Crouse alive. FTK, RW, ALC, Kyra Strzelczyk As any IU student knows, summers in Indiana can be grueling. One IUDM member, however, is putting personal discomfort aside and making the trek from Warsaw, IN to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, all in the name of the 100 Day Challenge.
Michael Schmahl is a member of the Morale committee for IUDM 2016, and is combining his passions for Riley and biking (he is also a biker in the Little 500) to make a difference For The Kids. His journey spans 133 miles and is expected to take him around eight hours. He brought some company along for the ride--a stuffed bear named Cason that will find its next home with a child at Riley. Schmahl's bike ride, which has been covered in local media outlets such as WISH-TV, is in honor of the 100 Day Challenge and marks 100 days until IUDM 2016. His goal is to raise $500 by midnight, which is about $5 for every mile he rides today. Many friends of Schmahl's view him to be an extremely dedicated and motivated person. "When he sets his mind to something he does it," said Hannah Naddy, a longtime friend. "He constantly inspires everyone around him to be the best person they can be." To help support him in his efforts, please visit Michael Schmahal's IUDM fundraising page and donate to Riley Hospital for Children. To watch videos about his progress, visit his Facebook page. FTK, RW, ALC, Ivy Kabbani The 100 Day Challenge is officially upon us! Tomorrow marks 100 days until IUDM 2016 weekend, where thousands of college students will fill the IU tennis center to dance for those who can’t. At the end of that weekend, when our bones are aching and we’re fighting to stay awake, that total will go up. THE total. The one we have worked toward all year. The one that can make a life-saving difference for children all over the world. The one that means so much to so many people.
When that total goes up, we want to be able to say that we did everything possible to raise every last cent we could for the children at Riley Hospital. The 100 Day Challenge is the biggest fundraising day of the year. Tomorrow is the day to do everything we have been wanting to do For The Kids, and more. When we think we have done everything there is to do, I promise we can do more. Throughout the IUDM community, our main goal is to have every single person raise at least $100 in 24 hours. $100 may seem like a lot of money, but if you break it down it is a very manageable goal. That’s four $25 donations, five $20 donations, 10 $10 donations, and on and on. There are endless amounts of small ways to make a big difference. If you are struggling, or that goal seems unattainable, here is a list of 53 ways to get inspired, raise money, get motivated, spread the word, and give everything you have to this incredible cause. FUNDRAISING:
AWARENESS:
MOTIVATION:
FTK, RW, ALC, Ivy Kabbani We dance for her, we wear her initials on our IUDM apparel, and we support her brothers’ efforts to carry on his sister’s name, but what do the initials ALC really mean?
Next Saturday, April 9th, is the long-awaited Hoosier Half Marathon and FTK 5K! Both races begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, followed by a finish line party with food, drinks, and fun times. Here are 30 reasons why you should register to run (or walk) it:
FTK, RW, ALC, Jess Karl Hope. Love. Miracles. Future. Chance. Family. These are just a few words plastered all over the five bright red letters spelling out “RILEY” sitting proudly on display in the Indiana University Dance Marathon office, all reflecting thoughts people have when they hear the words “Riley Hospital for Children.” Thus far I have been very fortunate in my life. I have not suffered from illness, disease, or severe trauma, or really ever needed medical attention for any extended period of time. I still believe, though, that Riley Hospital for Children saved my life. More than anything, it has given me something to live and work for throughout the last four years of my time here at IU. It has given me drive and purpose for the rest of my life outside of my college years. Riley Hospital for Children has inspired thousands of students to date to put themselves second in their college careers, putting first the needs of thousands of sick children. It is often described as being more than a hospital, more of a home away from home for those kids. It is easy to see that it is an incredible place, but sometimes it is hard to verbalize the why. Something I noticed throughout my first few years on a committee as a large gap in the mission of IUDM was the lack of education and awareness regarding the purpose of the money raised by these thousands of college students. The most common question any committee leadership team received was “where does my money go?”The incorporation of the Hospital Relations committee this year is a huge step in filling this gap, and ensuring that every single committee member, dancer, and donor is on the same page. HR is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a resource not only now at the fundraising kick-off, but throughout the year for anyone who may have questions regarding the funding IUDM contributes to Riley, or the history of the funding of our organization. Moving forward in our year, Hospital Relations will continue to work to build our relationship with Riley Hospital for Children and its staff, and to make more personal connections between committee members, dancers, and the hospital itself. Our hope is that every single individual will enter the doors of the Tennis Center come November 4th feeling connected to and inspired by the efforts of such an incredible place. Riley Week was just start of this endeavor, and I want to extend a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who participated in any of our activities last week. Without each and every one of you buying shirts, grabbing pins from a table, and playing Star Wars with Owen during the Riley family meet and greet, this week would not have been anywhere near a success. I hope you enjoy this video put together by the incredible Marketing committee and learn a little bit more about why some of your fellow committee members love Riley Hospital for Children. FTK, RW, ALC, Maddy Vonderohe Director of Hospital Relations Riley Week is finally upon us! Riley Week began yesterday, Monday, March 29th. Throughout the week, Indiana University will be celebrating Riley Hospital for Children. Every day of the week there will be something new going on all around campus! The theme and slogan of this year’s Riley Week is “From the Bench to the Bedside and Beyond." Monday was the “Bench” portion of the week, and was dedicated to informing IU students of the six different areas of research at the Wells Pediatric Centers are funded by IUDM! There was tabling across campus and the spring apparel sale where IU students bought some awesome FTK apparel, including a new Riley Week tee shirt and discounted apparel from last year's marathon. Today, Tuesday, is the “Bedside” part of Riley Week. This day is dedicated to educating IU students about the five areas of clinical programming at Riley Hospital that are funded by IUDM! Again there will be tabling across campus so make sure you stop by learn more about the Riley Hospital for Children. Wednesday is the “Beyond” day of Riley Week! All day on campus there will be tabling where you can find information about the Ronald McDonald House and how it’s one way Riley promotes sharing he family- sibling experience! Thursday is all about the kids! FTK!!!! Thursday there will be a Riley Family Meet & Greet at 4 p.m at the Lit Desk in the Union! Stop by and learn why the kids love the Riley Hospital and hear their stories about what they have done for them. It’s going to be an amazing day. Friday will be the final day of Riley Week. On Friday, we will be celebrating why WE love Riley and the kids that we are helping there. This is a day not only for IUDM members to celebrate Riley Hospital for Children, but for Indiana University as a whole to learn more about and celebrate the kids, families, doctors, nurses, and everyone involved with Riley. There will be a display at the IMU lit desk all day. Riley Hospital for Children is an amazing hospital that does so much great work for the kids and for the medical community. Come out to Riley Week events and learn more about Riley and celebrate such a worthwhile cause! FTK, RW, ALC Grace Stryker and Ivy Kabbani |
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