Organizers of a dance marathon taking place this weekend are still looking for Cougars who are ready to get get down and dance for children.
UH student organization Dance On presents its 5th annual dance marathon, which goes on for nine hours this year from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in the University Center’s Houston Room.
All funds raised by participants will go to Texas Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Organizers have been encouraging students to volunteer, donate, and participate as a dancer for the event through social networks like Twitter and Facebook, recent fundraising events and word of mouth.
“Everyone should be a part of this,” said Claudia Martinez, dancer recruitment and relations chair of Dance On. “It is a day to dedicate to the kids and show them our UH love.”
The dance marathon is a student-run event where participants are given the chance to give back to their community and raise money to help provide medical care to children whose parents are financially unable to provide health insurance.
The love and support shown by students during this event is felt not only by the kids that the funds directly benefit, but their families as well.
“The parents of these kids love to see students care and maybe try to understand what they are going through,” Martinez said.
For Martinez, the event is as much about giving back to the community as it is about her future goals.
Martinez is a pre-med student with hopes of becoming a neonatologist and potentially providing free medical care to children in need in the future.
Students who choose to participate receive incentives like sunglasses. The student who raises a minimum of $1,000 will be awarded the rare Cougar Card.
Dance on will continue to take in participants and raise funds until it is time to set up and dance. Students are still encouraged to participate and register for $5 between now and Saturday.
To register or for more information, visit www.uh.edu/uhdm/dancerinfo.html.
What's the rare Cougar Card?