By Peter Hyle and Sidney Reynolds

FC will be hosting the Dance Marathon this February for the fourth consecutive year. This event provides games and activities in an effort to raise money for Riley Children’s Hospital. To conduct an event like this requires well thought out planning and dedication. In order to make the fundraiser as successful as possible, the planning and preparations are divided into four different committees.

“We have the fundraising committee, which is in charge of fundraising money prior to the event itself to try and get the total up each year. We also have recruitment, which works on getting people to the event itself and spreading the word about what Dance Marathon is and what we’re trying to accomplish. The entertainment committee is in charge of planning the night, which involves creating a schedule and planning out all of the activities. And then of course there’s catering that provides us with all of the food and beverages,” said FCDM coordinator and English teacher Tiffany Stansbury.

Creating each committee and giving them a purpose was a large task to take on. But even more in depth was deciding how each group would be constructed. For the fourth annual Dance Marathon, there were 170 students who volunteered to be on staff. Unfortunately, not everyone could be accepted.

“It was certainly a nice problem to have,” said Stansbury, “But we had to have a certain amount of guys and girls, a certain amount from each grade, and then we tried to get an even amount of people who have been involved in previous years and people who are new to the staff.”

Each year the event is hosted, more students learn about the fundraiser and it’s success seems to build from previous years.

“I had so much fun at last year’s Dance Marathon, and I thought it would be an even better experience this year to contribute,” said sophomore Kristen Burger, new to the FCDM staff this year.

Even though the main event is not until the second semester, the committees are dedicating their time and efforts in advance to make as large an impact as possible.

“We sold Yankee Candles at the end of August as our first fundraiser, and we have so much more planned. The yard sale is on Sept. 28, and we have a Halloween Party coming soon in October,” said Burger.

For the other volunteers, the overall experience of being on staff is also a main reason they choose to dedicate themselves to the cause.

“I volunteered for Dance Marathon again this year because last year it had a big impact on my life. It felt good to be a part of something so huge and worthwhile. I was a small part in it but it was still a great opportunity,” said junior Lexie Byrd.

For the past three years, the FCDM committee has gone past their own expectations and raised more than their actual goal. To make this possible for a fourth year in a row, their new goal is to “Strive for Forty-Seven Five”, which is a couple thousand more than what they collected at last year’s event. On top of that, they are constantly thinking of how they can improve and give more back to Riley’s Hospital.

“We’re trying to get the word out earlier and take part in more activities throughout the school year. For us, Dance Marathon is a year-long process and we want to bring that to the school as well,” said Stansbury.

Editor’s Note: For more details on this year’s Dance Marathon activities, check out the Oct. 4 issue of The Bagpiper.