SFC Finale: Drum roll please...

By Emma Herwehe

After nine weeks, Spring Fundraising Challenge has come to an end. Congratulations to Marathon Relations for their fourth consecutive win!

Morale took second place and Riley Development took third. There were also individual division winners: Marathon Relations in Hope, Recruitment in Legacy, Logistics in Inspire, and Stewardship in Dream!

Though the competition aspect is definitely a huge part of SFC and helps motivate our fundraising efforts, over the past nine weeks we’ve grown so much as people and committees and learned about what all of our hard work goes towards: the kids at Riley!

Let’s take a look back.

Week One, back at the start of February, we were just getting started. The challenge was to get committee members registered on Donor Drive, personalize their page, receive a donation, and follow all of IUDM’s socials!

In Week Two, we were filling up committee rosters. Tacky Nite was during that week and committees got bonus points for their attendance there!

Week Three was Focus Week. Committees tried to get the highest number of donations by a committee and the challenge also included the percentage of committee attendance at the All-Focus meetings.

The following week, Week Four, was Old Riley Bucket Week. As an organization, IUDM worked to raise more money than PUDM. As an organization, we had a record-breaking Old Riley Bucket and raised $155,791.23! The Dancer Relations Committee also won our annual 50 States Challenge for the 7th year in a row!

Week Five was Riley Week. Thanks to Hospital Relations, committee members were educated on Riley Hospital for Children and were able to learn what fundraising efforts are truly for. Different events each day including Doc Talk and Trivia helped make this educational aspect fun!

Week Six was Why IUDM Week. Committee members took to social media to share why they dance. It is always so special to see how each member of IUDM has a different “Why,” but we all get to make an incredible impact through our efforts in IUDM!

Week Seven was Road Rules! Committee members were encouraged to go canning during the week! The Accounting Committee brought back IUDM’s Road Rules competition, which allowed committees to gather together and go canning all over the state.

The next week, Week Eight, was Ryan and Ashley week. Shoutout to the Stewardship Committee for putting on such an incredible week that connected us to the spirit and creation of IUDM. Through events such as a movie in Dunn Meadow, the Ryan and Ashley Week Concert,concert, the Angels Amoung Us Walk, and more, committee members learned about the legacies Ryan White and Ashley Louise Crouse left on the organization and in the world. We felt their love and spirits all week.

Last week was our final week of SFC: SFC Finale! The challenge was the highest fundraising per person per committee. We also had fun at the in-person SFC Finale event. Committee members gathered in Hodge Hall to play stage games and participate in some final fundraising pushes!

Overall, SFC was filled with education, fundraising, and so much love. Heading into our final weeks of the school year, it’s hard to believe committee interviews were just starting at the beginning of this semester. We are so thankful for the friends who became family over the past nine weeks.

Stay tuned for many more fundraising opportunities and IUDM events over the summer and into next school year. Good luck on finals! HAGS!