One of the Dancer Captains I am paired up with held a movie night with his team and our DM family! We had a great turnout, ordered pizza and spent some time having fun and getting to know our little boy. It was such a fun time, and the family was so sweet. I Love DM! =)

This year Dance Marathon has had the amazing opportunity to volunteer at Mott Hospital twice a month. Nine dancers in DMUM volunteer to go each session and are spread out between three floors of the children’s hospital. The three groups are sent to the common rooms to play with the children and do crafts such as pillow making. Volunteering at the hospital allows dancers to make a personal connection with a child, putting a smile on their face and giving them an escape from being in the hospital. Volunteering also allows dancers to see how their time and fundraising has an impact on the children’s lives. This is an amazing experience and really enhances the Dance Marathon experience! I would recommend every dancer go at least once!

TOPSoccer is just one of the many therapies sponsored by Dance Marathon. It is an amazing opportunity for kids with disabilities to have some fun, get a little exercise, and hang out with college-age students and student-athletes. Winter session was 5 weeks long, and every Saturday morning would be the absolute highlight of my week. All of the kids there are awesome, and it is especially rewarding to hang out with Dance Marathon kids so that when you see them at other events, you have a personal connection. Volunteering at therapies is one of the most important ways that I am rooted to the cause, and it gives me more than enough motivation to fundraise, motivate others, and complete all tasks DM. If you have never volunteered at a therapy, I cannot stress enough how rewarding it is. Sign up now! Do it! Just go to dmum.org, click on “Dancers” and you’ll find the link that will take you to Volunteer Sign-Up. Any type of involvement with DM is awesome, and volunteering allows you to have the insight into where all of this money goes. My love for DM grows everyday, especially when hanging out with the most amazing kids ever!

Team M has loved every minute of hanging out with Paavlena. This is Paavlena’s first year participating as a Dance Marathon family, and has been very social and active at every DM event. Recently, Paavlena took Team M swimming! We spent the day at the pool splashing and playing, and then enjoyed a meal and played Wii dancing together! Paavlena is very active, and we all had a blast! We are all thankful for the opportunity to get to know her and her family and look forward to hanging out again soon!

First semester I attended Kids in Motion, a therapy that is a dance class for the kids that works on motor skills, listening, social skills, etc. I wasn’t sure how it would go at first, but some of the kids were amazing and you could just tell that they had improved so much. The class started off with stretching and then moved to a choreographed dance that the kids had been working on each consecutive week and lastly finished with a free dance. Sometimes the kids had difficulty following directions, but with a little guidance the kids were having so much fun. One girl in particular had an amazing transition from the beginning to the end of the class. At the beginning, she was very uncooperative, did not listen to directions, and would not interact with the other kids. Slowly with time, she began to listen to the teacher and the volunteers. Even by the end she was having conversations with everyone and was actually having fun. To see such an amazing transformation was inspiring and really made me see what Dance Marathon is all about and how much of an impact we all have in helping the kids.

Teija

I had a great experience at martial arts this past week. The class is on the small side and only a few volunteers go each Tuesday so you get a lot of one on one times with the kids. The instructor Dave allows you to be very hands on and makes sure you are comfortable with each of the activities the kids are doing so you are able to teach it to them. This past week we worked on a series of martial arts moves including kicking, blocks and hand motions. The kids really enjoy getting to know each other. Because it is such a small group each child is able to be heard and practice the moves as many times as they need until they successfully complete the moves. I’m really looking forward to going back next week in order to see how the kids have improved.

So many people ask me why I put so much of my time and energy into Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan, and I guess it is a valid question. I mean a full course load, internship recruiting, other extracurricular activities, sleep. Without participating in DMUM, I would be living a pretty full life.

Oddly enough, the answer to me is quite simple. The families, and especially the kids. I have 5 very important reasons why I put so much time into DM, and they are Sean, William, Bella, Miles, and Chase. The time I put in is nothing compared to the difference I am making in these kids lives. It is uplifting. It is amazing how much these families appreciate what we do, and that alone is enough for me to continue doing what I do. I love them and I would stand for them for 30 hours, 30 times over.

-E.Z.

My favorite part of Dance Marathon this year has been taking advantage of volunteer opportunities at Mott Children’s Hospital. The times I’ve gone I have been on the oncology floor interacting with children with cancer. They are some of the bravest kids I have ever met. It’s hard because many times they are in ICU or too tired from treatments to leave their hospital beds. But that was okay by me, and I didn’t mind at all making them door decorations or delivering them pillows! Seeing their smile and having the children know that someone was thinking of them was an amazing reward. I also was able to play with some of the children’s family or siblings. Hospital visits can sometimes be scary or for them, and it was great knowing that for a short time that I was able to distract them from those feelings. Overall it was a very rewarding experience and I couldn’t be happier that I was able to spend time with the kids!!

Kristin

Last weekend Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan hosted a Dr. Seuss themed Family Event. This was the last Family Event before the Marathon and was a fun afternoon filled with Dr. Seuss themed activities! Kids played Hop on Pop hopscotch and Red Fish, Blue Fish fishing. Some even came dress up as the Cat in the Hat.

One of the university’s best, and by far the funniest, a cappella groups, The Friars, even performed for the group. Check out their YouTube page for their biggest hits! The day wrapped up with a reading of “Oh, the places you’ll go!” Check back for some photos soon! In the meantime, if you took photos at the event, make sure to post them on our Gallery. And don’t forget the 30 hour Marathon in coming up in just a couple weeks, March 26th and 27th!