IU dance marathon raises $1.3M for Riley

By Francesca Jarosz, Posted: November 16, 2008 IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

In the midst of a struggling economy, Indiana University’s annual dance marathon fundraiser garnered a record total this weekend.

The 36-hour dance-a-thon, which began Friday night and ended at 8 a.m. today at IU in Bloomington, raised more than $1.37 million for the Ryan White Infectious Disease Center at Riley Hospital for Children, higher than last year’s record of a little more than $1 million.

About 2,000 participants, including student dancers, volunteers and alumni were involved. Many stayed awake around the clock for the cause with the help of food, music and parents of Riley patients, who shared testimonials of the importance of the cause.

The fundraising total also included proceeds from five high school dance marathons, which IU helps to coordinate, said Jason Mueller, a spokesman for the Riley Children’s Foundation.

IU’s Dance Marathon started in 1991 in honor of Ryan White, an AIDS activist and Riley patient. It since has become the nation’s largest dance marathon that is affiliated with the Children’s Miracle Network.

Mueller said the proceeds benefit the area of the center where they’re most needed, whether it’s research, technology or other uses.

"To maintain the caliber of treatments patients need, it requires constant funding," Mueller said. "There's a reason for huge celebration when you have an amount of money like that coming in from a very special event. It"s a fantastic thing when you have so many people working for common cause to maintain level of care that takes place at Riley."