The Dance Marathon, a 24-hour marathon of non-stop dancing organized by Hope College students to raise funds for the children of DeVos Children's Hospital,   begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

The Dance Marathon, a 24-hour marathon of non-stop dancing organized by Hope College students to raise funds for the children of DeVos Children's Hospital,   begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

          The event takes place in the college's Dow Center,
  located on the corner of 13th Street and Columbia Avenue.
  The marathon will conclude on Saturday, March 11, at 7 p.m.
          Students at Hope have been fundraising and
  preparing for the event since November, and the results of
  their hard work are about to be revealed.  "We have put so
  much effort into this and are excited to see the results of
  our work benefiting such awesome kids," said Anne Schrock,
  the director of the Dance Marathon, who is a senior from
  Mason.
          The distinguishing characteristic of the
  fundraiser is that 100 percent of the money raised goes
  directly to the miracle children, who are the patients and
  inspiration for the event.  The amount of money raised by
  student organizations for the Children's Miracle Network at
  DeVos Children's Hospital is in the thousands, but the exact
  amount will be revealed in a check presentation during the
  marathon.
          Throughout the evening there will be games,
  relays, lip-sync contests and live bands, including:  Dazy
  Head Mazy, Jay Lite and the John Reed Band.  One of the
  highlights is "Kids Healing Kids," a performance dedicated
  to the miracle children by the students of Waukazoo
  Elementary School, which starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
          Dance Marathon dancers will engage in a variety of
  dances:  country, rock, Latin and even a kind of finger
  paint dancing.  Each hour of the marathon will have a
  different theme that will begin with a line dance in which
  everyone drops everything to unify in one immense dance for
  kids.
          "We are directly benefiting our community through
  this effort because all of our families are from the Holland
  area.  Some are even children of alumni and professors,"
  said Stacey Baker, who is family relations chair and a
  junior from Saginaw.
          The 10 children and their families, who will
  receive the money to help cover the costs of treatment, will
  attend the event.  Each Hope group, such as a residence hall
  or Greek organization, is paired with a child who they are
  spending time getting to know before the event takes place.
  Organizations have taken their children to Hope basketball
  games or out to dinner, or have held small recovery parties
  with them.
          "We are really appreciative of all of the work
  that students are putting into their community," said Laura
  Staskiewicz, who is the development director at DeVos
  Children's Hospital.  "It will be really evident when
  students see the smiles on the children's faces at the
  marathon."
          The public is welcome to attend and there is no
  admission fee, although donations will be accepted at the
  door.  Anyone interested in contributing to Dance Marathon
  may contact the Dance Marathon office at (616) 395-7472, or
  write to:  Student Activities; 141 E. 12th Street; Holland,
  MI  49423.