Recruitment is in full force for the 15-hour ISU 2001 Dance Marathon, which is less than a month away.

And with the goal of 600 dancers and $175,000, this is no small feat for the Dec. 1 event.

“As of today, we are really pushing recruitment of dancers, doing a lot of final planning and just getting psyched up for the event,” said Lisa Nash, executive co-director for Dance Marathon.

Bronk Harms, executive co-director for Dance Marathon, said in addition to the regular dancers, the committee this year has added the option of registering to be a “spirit dancer.”

A spirit dancer is someone who isn’t an undergraduate student, raises $50 and comes the day of the dance for a two-hour block. The spirit dancer is a guest of Dance Marathon who can dance, tour Dance Marathon, meet the families being helped and get a T-shirt, said Andy Tu, public relations director for Dance Marathon.

Everything for the day of the event is set up and ready to go, said Tu, sophomore in pre-advertising.

He said the acts are lined up for the day of the dance, and invitations have been sent out to the 40 families from the Children’s Miracle Network that are sponsored by Dance Marathon. The families all are encouraged to come to the dance for a day of fun.

“Most importantly, this is a day for the children and families, and we want to make it as fun as we can,” said Nash, senior in child and family services. “We are not only here for financial support, but also for emotional support.”

Dancers pledge to raise $175, but Tu said it is easy to find donations.

“We give participants a sample letter to send to people asking for money,” he said. “When they see people are dancing to raise money for children in need, they are apt to donate.”

Upon registration, dancers receive a dancer packet that includes several fund-raising ideas, said Harms, junior in marketing. Some suggestions are canning door-to-door and at local businesses, sponsoring a car wash, saving change and asking family and friends, he said.

Harms said people can get involved in several ways besides being a dancer. Volunteers for the day of the event are greatly appreciated and always needed to help boost the morale of the dancers, Harms said.

Last year, the 500 dancers brought $120,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network at the Children’s Hospital of Iowa, Tu said.

“A lot of these children look forward to this day more than their own birthdays,” Nash said. “So we try to make it the best possible day for them.”

Where to go

Applications to register to be a dancer are available online at www.dm.stuorg.iastate.edu or can be picked up at G38 of the East Student Office Space in the Memorial Union.

There is a $25 registration fee, and each person must raise $175 for the event.