"One day, one party, one cause" – Stanford Dance Marathon raises $150,000 for PIH

They could have danced all night. And they did. More than 900 students at Stanford University joined together in early February to stage a 24-hour dance marathon that raised more than $150,000 for Partners In Health.

	Dancing for dollars and solidarity

Roughly 350 students began dancing at noon on Saturday, February 10, kicking off the third annual Stanford Dance Marathon. Fueled by music and entertainment, ample supplies of food and water, and encouragement from more than 500 marathon “moralers,” the dancers were able to stay on their feet until midday on Sunday. And then the tired and footsore marathoners were able to tally up the proceeds and celebrate having surpassed by far their target of $100,000.

“The best part was the incredible sense of accomplishment you feel when you finish and hear how much money has been raised,” said Jen Brown, a member of the Executive Planning Team for the marathon. “To have planned an event that connects the people to a cause is exciting.”

The marathon capped months of organizing on the Stanford campus and was coordinated with other activities focusing on issues of global health. Awareness was heightened by selection of Mountains Beyond Mountains as required reading for all incoming freshmen and by the activities of FACE AIDS, a student-run non-profit that has set a goal of raising $1 million for PIH.

How did the dancers raise all that money? The Executive Planning Team began by soliciting corporate and in-kind donations of $1,000 or more. They also organized a mini-carnival to attract support from the community during the event. Children and families from the Palo Alto area paid a small admission fee to play carnival games, watch the dancers, and learn about Partners In Health.

In addition to all the outreach by the Planning Team, each of the dancers was required to raise a minimum of $140—the cost of a year’s supply of antiretroviral therapy for one AIDS patient. Moralers were asked to raise between $35 and $50 each.

Besides dancing and having a good time for a good cause, participants in the Dance Marathon were able to learn about HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and Partners In Health’s work for health and social justice through educational displays.

Thank you, Stanford Dance Marathon, for your support for Partners In Health and your solidarity with the destitute sick.

[published March 8, 2007]