Recognizing the 2024 Best High School Dance Marathon Finalists
Miracle Network Dance Marathon recognized top performing Dance Marathon programs at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ Ignite: Peer-to-Peer Leadership Conference held in Kansas City, MO from July 18-21.
The Best High School Dance Marathon award recognizes programs who excel in participant recruitment, engagement, fundraising and raising awareness as well as Dance Marathon event or digital campaign execution. This year’s finalists all displayed excellence in a variety of these areas. Congratulations to the programs below for being selected as this year’s Best High School Dance Marathon finalists – you can read more about each program’s accomplishments below.
Northridge Miracle from Northridge High School, a partner of UA Miracle at the University of Alabama – is this year’s winner of the Best High School Dance Marathon award you can read more about them in the blog post here: Northridge Miracle at Northridge High School Recognized as Best High School Dance Marathon.
Lawton Chiles High School, a partner of Dance Marathon at Florida State University
This year, Dance Marathon at Chiles raised a total of $115,405.80, a 19.8% increase from the prior year! Through the establishment of “Wear DM Merch Days”, utilizing social media, hanging banners and posters, and hosting registration rallies during lunch the program experienced great success with participant recruitment.
To see an increase in year-over-year fundraising they implemented a “fundraising buddies” program. During the week of the event, they matched up dancers as buddies encouraging them to support one another in their fundraising efforts. They also worked hard to build partnerships throughout the community, garnering support and in-kind donations for a silent auction that raised over $10k towards their fundraising total. Finally, they also expanded their community impact by working with a local middle school to expand their efforts. Congratulations, Chiles Dance Marathon on your excellent year!
Dublin Scioto High School, a partner of BuckeyeThon at The Ohio State University
DublinThon at Dublin Scioto High School worked hard this year to innovate and establish themselves in their community and on campus. One of the ways they did this was through a fun and engaging pep rally with their entire student body in attendance. Throughout this event, the students spread awareness for their organization discussing how to register and fundraising and even had a champion family attend the pep rally to share their story.
In addition to their efforts to build more awareness for their organization, DublinThon implemented the best practice of Team Captains into their program operations. By recruiting team captains from other clubs and organizations at the school they increased their overall involvement, registering a wider audience of students than ever before.
These efforts and more contributed to DublinThon’s overall fundraising total of $10,226.06! Congratulations Dublin Scioto High School!
Alleman Catholic High School, a partner of St. Ambrose University Dance Marathon
Alleman Catholic High School celebrated its 11th year as a Dance Marathon program this year, raising a grand total of $32,755.67. They also surpassed a major milestone in their history, raising more than $300K cumulatively since they started up their program.
In the past eleven years Alleman Dance Marathon has integrated themselves into the culture of the school, and the results prove it with more than 95% of their student body registered for Dance Marathon! Through strategic engagement and exceptional event experiences they have made this event an annual school tradition and is one of the largest High School Dance Marathon programs that fundraising for University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Congratulations Alleman Catholic High School!
Miracle Network Dance Marathon is a national movement, involving over 400 colleges, universities and K-12 schools across the United States that fundraise for their local member hospital of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Students involved in a campus’s dance marathon organization spend a year gaining leadership, teamwork, and nonprofit business experience while raising funds and awareness for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. The year culminates with a final dance marathon event on each campus, where students get to meet patient families treated at their local hospital, participate in games and dancing, enjoy entertainment, and reveal their annual fundraising total. Miracle Network Dance Marathon programs have collectively raised more than $350 million since 1991.