UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Dancers stay up all night for a good cause

From USC Web Communications

Counter-terrorist agent extraordinaire Jack Bauer makes a habit of working around the clock on the TV show “24.” But Bauer doesn't know how easy he's had it—he's never had to dance.

Several hundred Carolina students and nearly 70 student organizers burned the midnight oil and then some during the eighth annual Dance Marathon this weekend at the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.

“It's funny the things you tell people and that they'll tell you when you haven’t had enough sleep.”

The 24-hour event raised $81,750 for the Children's Miracle Network and Palmetto Health Foundation to help fund a new children's hospital in Columbia scheduled to be ready in 2008. Organizers expect an additional several thousand dollars will still come in from sponsors and other related promotions.

In the previous seven years, Dance Marathon has raised nearly $400,000. Carolina's event, the first in the state, is setting the standard for its peers, as Clemson, College of Charleston, and Coastal Carolina organizers have visited to learn the logistics of putting on their own events.

One of the most important lessons: You can catch up on your sleep later. “The biggest challenge is staying up and alert. I’m exhausted,” said Tiffany Caroffino, a senior from Virginia Beach, Va., who serves as public relations director for Dance Marathon.

“I've been here since 10 Friday morning, give or take a couple hours for class,” Caroffino said around 4 p.m. Saturday, three hours before the event was to end. “Hopefully I can go home and get in bed by 9 and sleep to normal hour. I won't be asleep until Wednesday.”

Executive director JJ Bettencourt, a senior from Roswell, Ga., couldn't keep track of how many consecutive hours she had been awake, but knew she was faring better than last year. “It's too late to do the math. I started at about 9 a.m. Friday. Last year as facilities director, I started at 6, so I got three extra hours this year. That's a bonus.”

Students like Justin Linne, a freshman from Grosse Pointe, Mich., serve on the Morale Committee, which tries to keep students energized—or at least awake—during the lulls between dancing and activities. “You try to have them stay alert and excited, and not sit down and get tired, especially in the wee hours of the morning.”

Helping the children who benefit from the philanthropy—Dance Marathon is the largest student-run event not only at Carolina but also in North America, with 80 participating college campuses—is incentive enough for most students. Children and their families participate during the event by giving personal testimonials.

“The most memorable part is the family talks,” Linne said. “The kids come in, and it puts a face to name that students are dancing for. They're probably more motivated knowing they're dancing for specific kids and not just the hospital.”

Lynn Hazel, the local Children's Miracle Director for Palmetto Health, agreed that Carolina students care about the children. “When I come to a meeting, it's not just about the business of new fund-raising idea, it's like, ‘Can bring a kid with you?’ Or during the event, it's ‘Who’s telling their story next?’ or ‘When are the kids going to dance?’

“I think it's the emotional part they get out of it, too, that will teach them to be lifetime philanthropists. It's teaching them to give back now and hopefully they will continue to give back throughout their lives.”

Emotions run the gamut during the event. First there are the inexplicable late-night giggles.

“It's always really funny to see people in the middle of the night,” Bettencourt said. “Everyone is in that weird dream-like state, and everything at that point seems funny. It's funny the things you tell people and that they'll tell you when you haven't had enough sleep.”

Tears prevail in the final hour. For the culmination, the lights dim, a slideshow recaps the previous 23 hours, everyone sings “Angels Among Us,” and organizers reveal the amount of money raised.

“At end, we stand around in a circle and see the friends we made and the children who will have a better experience because of time we've put in over the last year,” Bettencourt said. “That makes it worth it.”

Posted: 02/20/06 @ 11:38 AM | Updated: 03/14/06 @ 02:58 PM | Permalink

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