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Dance marathon hopes to raise $50,000 for children's hospitals

The fourth annual LoboTHON will be coming to the UNM Johnson Center on April 1 to help raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals around the nation and UNM Children’s Hospital.

LoboTHON is both an event and an organization that hosts events year-round, and the upcoming dance marathon lasts for 13.1 hours and is described as “a party with a purpose.”

The idea of LoboTHON was created by UNM alumni Jenna Hagengruber and Kyle Stepp back in the 2013-2014 school year, said Jessica Marrello, executive director of LoboTHON.

The very first LoboTHON committee had 14 members in total. The committee has grown substantially since then, with 38 members this year, she said.

“LoboTHON was started in honor of Kyle Stepp’s nine best friends who he met while receiving treatment for stage IV bone cancer at the UNM Children’s Hospital,” Marrello said. “Unfortunately, these nine friends passed away, and LoboTHON was started to continue their legacy.”

The dance marathon can be found in over 270 colleges and universities all across the country, all raising money for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, she said. There is a ton of planning that goes into this event, since LoboTHON is the largest student-run philanthropy event at UNM, striving to involve every Lobo in the UNM community, Marrello said.

“We create strategies to recruit participants or ‘dancers’ and to inspire them to rally around and raise money for our cause,” Marrello said. “Participating in any of our events and contributing to our cause makes you part of the LoboTHON family, and we are always looking for ways to involve as many Lobos as we can in order to create a community within our organization.”

Setting up the event involves working with numerous areas of the University, such as the Student Activities Center, ASUNM, the Dean of Students Office, Office of Student Affairs and the Student Government Accounting Office, Marrello said.

LoboTHON additionally coordinates with Miracle Families, which are families who have been impacted by the UNM Children’s Hospital, so they can share their stories with the students, she said.

“Students will also be able to hang out with the Miracle Kids all day, and it’s so incredible to see students connect them to the cause,” Marrello said. “The Miracle Kids absolutely love the dance marathon, and members strive to make this a day full of fun, completely dedicated to the kids and their families.” The event serves to simply let the Miracle Kids be kids, so they can forget for a day about their treatment and time in the hospital, she said.

To set up for the event, members work with the staff of Johnson Gym and the Physical Plant Department to ensure that all of the electricity for the stage, lighting and sound is set to go, as well as the booking of entertainment and catering for the dance marathon, Morello said.

“There are so many moving parts and this year’s Internal Executive Director Sarah Putnam, as well as the Event Operations Director Jordan Torres, have done an absolutely phenomenal job,” she said. Members of LoboTHON communicate with numerous businesses and areas of the University as well as with participants to give them ideas and creative tips for fundraising, as well as incentives for raising a certain amount, Morello said.

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“We also try to think of creative ways we can raise money within the event, while simultaneously giving dancers the best experience possible,” Morello said. “Cheesy as it may sound, teamwork makes the dream work, and our event could not be successful or even possible without combining the efforts of the LoboTHON committee, the University and the Albuquerque community.”The current fundraising goal for this year’s LoboTHON is $50,000, she said. Participants in the dance marathon will come to the event and attempt to stand for the entire 13.1 hours. For those who can’t, there is a variety of fun activities during the event, such as Zumba, Bubble Soccer and a Rave Power Hour, Morello said.

The event also involves asking friends and family for donations to the UNM Children’s Hospital, she said.

One requirement that has been changed from past years is implementing a $5 registration fee that goes directly to the hospital, she said.

“Since we provide two free meals and tons of free entertainment, we felt that this $5 donation was a reasonable amount in exchange for an amazing event,” Morello said. Having the event at UNM makes it convenient for students to attend, she said.

“We are extremely fortunate to have our hospital so close to campus, as we can see the change we are able to make right across the street,” Morello said. LoboTHON gives local businesses the chance to show their philanthropic side, as well as the services they can offer to UNM students, she said.

“We try to involve the Albuquerque community and make it a mutually beneficial relationship with all of the businesses we work with,” Morello said. “This year we have seen a lot of UNM Alumni stepping up to support us which is also wonderful.”

Those interested in registering for the event can register at 
events.dancemarathon.com.“If we’re going to reach our goal of $50,000, we need every Lobo on board. This event is amazing and there is no experience like it — you won’t want to miss it,” she said.

Nichole Harwood is a reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Nolidoli1.

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