By: Emma Herwehe
Two rival schools came together last week in a friendly competition. IUDM competed with Purdue Dance Marathon to see who could raise the most money for Riley. But at the end of the day, the competition was all in good spirits, supporting Riley Hospital for Children as One State with One Cause!
Monday was “Athletics” themed. Both schools in the Big Ten, Indiana and Purdue are known to be competitive in sporting events. Committee members asked coaches, teammates, and athletes for donations.
Tuesday was “Impact” themed. Committee members were educated on where each program funds in the hospital and everything Dance Marathon does.
Wednesday was “Academics” themed. PUDM began fundraising this day, and committee members were encouraged to ask professors, teachers, classmates, or high school friends for donations.
Thursday was a big day! First, it was “Alumni” themed, in which committee members involved alumni, got into the IU and Purdue rivalry, and asked friends from other Big Ten schools for donations. But it was also 50 States Day! IUDM committees tried to get donations from every state in the U.S.
The IMU Georgian room held a hype space from 7:30-10 p.m. Thursday to help inspire fundraising and get people excited for ORB and 50 States. There was limited-edition merch sold and plenty of fundraising incentives!
For the 50 States Challenge, Dancer Relations took home First Place, Riley Development got Second, and Recruitment got Third!
Friday, the final day of ORB, was “One State, One Cause” themed. Committee members from both IUDM and PUDM helped build a cause connection and supported each other in fundraising efforts.
After a week of fundraising, IUDM raised a record-breaking total for ORB Week: $155,791.23. Committee-wise, Marathon Relations won for the sixth year in a row, followed by Morale and then Recruitment. We saw fantastic effort across the board!
Now, we are heading into SFC Week 5: Riley Week! This week is all about learning about Riley, and how it’s more than just another hospital. The challenge this week is percent of committee attendance filled at Doc Talk, percent attendance at committee meetings, and for a bonus, winner of Trivia Night!
Good luck!!