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#SPEAKOUT: Seeing dancing at work

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By Danielle Sheally

By far, I think Dance Marathon is the most anticipated event of the year.

When our student body is dancing and having fun at FCDM our ears hear all these stories about the money we are raising to help out the individuals that benefit from Riley.  There are different outlets Riley participates in besides the Dance Marathon.  One of the outlets that I benefit from is Camp Riley.  Camp Riley is a place where children with a wide range of disabilities can go camping without their parents.

At Riley there is wide range of activities for kids to do while they are there.  Some of the activities are arts and crafts, archery, and nature walks.  At each activity the campers are encouraged to try to be as independent as possible but help is there if we need it.  I think what makes Camp Riley so different is that most of their counselors are medical students.  The counselors get handson practice with many different types of medical issues.  These in turn help them immensely with understanding their field of work.

For me, Riley is a place to get away from my parents.  This is definitely the biggest perk for me. Being at camp makes me realize that I am not the only one out  in the world that wants to experience opportunities that I usually would not be able to, because some are just too physically challenging.  We all struggle with the same obstacle at Riley, which is not being able to experience the things we want to.  Riley lets us see that we are not alone in our struggles.

When I was at Riley, my favorite activities were archery and talking to my counselors. The feeling of having a weapon in my hands was very liberating.  Also, occasionally, when I hit a target, I get excited too.  Archery made me feel empowered by the feeling of being able to sit down and shoot something that is extremely powerful.  Talking to counselors was hands down the most enjoyable thing.  When campers are there, we develop and grow relationships while at camp with the counselors because most of them are near our age.  I also enjoy our conversations because they let me know what college is like and what I need to expect.  So I guess you could say that not only are they mentors, but they are friends too.

Who ever thought a couple dance moves could could help so many people smile.

Features

Riley Children’s Hospital provides hope for kids with none

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By Rebekah Landers

As many students sign up to attend this Saturday’s Dance Marathon, some pose questions about what Riley actually does. English teacher Tiffany Stansbury is the creator of the event and she has all the information about it.

“Riley Children’s  Hospital is the only comprehensive children’s hospital in Indiana, which means it is the only children’s hospital in the state that will handle any life threatening illness,” said Stansbury.

Paying for the treatments that Riley provides is a common problem for the families that receive the care. Riley tries its best to ensure that does not happen.

“The hospital also has a financial program so that if families go there and they don’t have health insurance or their insurance does not cover the treatment, they will pay the bills for them so when families leave they do not have to be in debt,” said Stansbury.

So the money that is raised from the Dance Marathon will go directly to help families pay for treatment. Last year the school raised $17,572.44.

“This year we set our goal at $15,000 so we will see if we make it,” said Stansbury.

To raise this money it takes a lot of group effort, one of the main groups that contributes to raising money for Riley is the student council.

“We have five different committees for Dance Marathon and one of them is recruitment so that group of 12 students are completely in charge of getting people to know about it and get people to the event, and they do everything from setting up tables at lunch, to having a flash mob, and presenting a video,” said Stansbury.

The Floyd Central Dance Marathon raises money for Riley Hospital and all of the proceeds go to the cause. Check back the rest of the week for more info on the event.