Children's Miracle Network
Dance Marathon History

Decades ago, a Dance Marathon was an event where the last couple standing won a prize. That all changed in 1973 when the Interfraternity Council began a Dance Marathon at Penn State University. By 1977 it had a set length (48 hours) and was an annual benefit for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center. Today the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon raises over $2 million annually.

Children's Miracle Network first heard of Dance Marathon in 1995 when Indiana University raised more than $60,000 in only their third event for the Ryan White Infectious Diseases Fund. This fund was established by the Indiana University Dance Marathon Council (IUDMC) at Riley Hospital for Children, a CMN hospital in Indianapolis.

Thanks to the help of students at Indiana and Penn State, and many schools since then, CMN's Dance Marathon program was born. In 1995, the first year of the program, 4 schools raised $142,000 for kids treated at CMN hospitals. The next year, 10 schools participated and raised over $300,000. In 1997, 18 schools held Dance Marathons and raised more than $600,000. There are now dozens of schools and tens of thousands of students from coast to coast participating. CMN Dance Marathons are held at campuses of all sizes.

What does the future hold for Dance Marathon? The more schools that participate, the more we can do to help local hospitalized kids. If you want more information about getting your entire campus involved in making a major difference in the lives of local kids, keep reading through this site or click more info. Dance Marathon is a proven program that is growing as more schools join us each year. JOIN THE TEAM!

Benefits of Dance Marathon

School Benefits

• An unmatched service learning package at no charge.
• Outstanding publicity generated by students.
• The premier way for a school to set itself apart in the higher education marketplace.
• An alcohol-free event open to all students.
• An outlet for students to practice civility and community involvement.

Student Benefits

• Networking opportunities with other successful schools at the Dance Marathon National Summer Conference.
• Hands-on experience that translates in the market place.
• The chance to build a legacy of caring at your school.
• Local and national support.
• A training manual based on successful programs.
• Exclusive on-campus training for the student committee.

Dance Marathon programs supporting Texas Children’s Hospital:

• University of Houston
  • Read about the University of Houston 2008 Dance Marathon.