Collegiate Times

Tonight, Virginia Tech’s second annual dance marathon will take place to fundraise for the Children’s Miracle Network.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Va., a local CMN hospital serving 36 counties.

The six-hour dance marathon, called V-Thon, will be held from 5-11 p.m. in Squires Commonwealth Ballroom. Dance Marathon at VT, a student organization that raises money for the children and families of Carilion Clinic, organized the event. 

V-Thon honors the children at the hospital and celebrates accomplishments of the year.

To accomplish this, numerous student volunteers have been working to fundraise and increase awareness about V-Thon.

Allison Wolf, head of V-Thon’s Internal Affairs committee, has been a top fundraiser for the event so far.

“Last year we raised just over $8,000 and this year we’re hoping to break the $12,000 mark, so my motivation was just to try to contribute as much as I could," the sophomore accounting and finance major said. "I’ve been reaching out to family members and friends to see if they would support me.”

Wolf encourages students not only to register for the dance, but also to gather friends to create teams for the event. 

Once there, V-Thon will place dancers into morale teams to keep the excitement and energy going. In addition to dancing together, these groups will also have the opportunity to participate in games and competitions against other teams for prizes.

V-Thon Co-Director Caroline Gimenez, a senior mathematics major, worked to promote V-Thon around campus to increase fundraising.

“Last year we had about 200 people come out to the event, so we’re hoping to have at least that many this year," she said. "We’re also focusing on getting people to stay for the whole time, because it really is a lot of fun and it means a lot to the kids and their families.”

At the event, there will be games, free food, entertainment, raffles and, of course, lots of dancing.

“There will be face painting, photo booths, cornhole, and a bunch of other fun games. We’ll also have performers at the event. The High Techs and the cheerleaders will be there. There will also be a performance by the Parkour club,” Gimenez said.

Several local children and families that CMN has helped in the past will also be at V-Thon to share their stories about their illness, treatment and recovery. For Gimenez and Wolf, seeing these kids is the best and most rewarding part of the event.

“You’ll get to hear their stories and know exactly who you’re helping," Wolf said. "You can’t help but just think what great things the money really is going towards.”

“Our motto is 'FTK:' for the kids. And everything we do is for the kids, so actually getting to see them and hang out with them is the best part for me,” Gimenez said.

V-Thon is open to all Tech students and members of the community. The $10 registration fee includes a T-shirt, all-you-can-eat food and live entertainment. 

“If anyone’s reading this, they should come on Friday; we’ll take registration up until the day of — you can walk up and come in,” Wolf said.

To register for or learn more about V-Thon, visit www.dancemarathon.org.vt.edu.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @rarobertson93

A version of this article appeared in the Nov 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.