Texas Tech Miracle Pennies and American Heritage School – Palm Beach, recipients of the Best New Campus Fundraising Program Award 

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 17-20, 2025. 

The Best New Campus Fundraising Program Award recognizes two programs hosting their first campus fundraising event in 2024–2025. Each demonstrated a clear commitment to the mission of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals while introducing creative approaches tailored to their unique communities. 

Texas Tech Miracle Pennies 

The team at Texas Tech took a non-Dance Marathon approach to launching their program. Rather than centering efforts around a single year-end event, they worked alongside Greek organizations and student groups to transform existing events into opportunities to support their local member hospital. The result was a distributed fundraising model that raised over $42,000 in their first year. By rebranding away from a traditional Dance Marathon structure, they made space for something authentic and sustainable, setting a strong foundation for future growth. 

American Heritage School – Palm Beach 

American Heritage School in Palm Beach introduced Dance Marathon to their high school campus and raised over $30,000 in their first year. With 12 registered teams and over 120 participants, the program focused on education and engagement from day one. Their leadership team helped the student body understand the mission and impact of CMN Hospitals and used peer-to-peer fundraising best practices to activate over 80% of their participants. The event even welcomed students from the younger divisions, creating a sense of shared purpose across grade levels. 

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Best New Campus Fundraising Program Award—Texas Tech University and American Heritage School – Palm Beach!