Nearly 200 Iowa State students will use the rhythm in their feet to help children who are battling cancer and other diseases.

The Second Annual Dance Marathon will be held March 6 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

The marathon is a univerisitywide event dedicated to financially assist 20 families and is in conjunction with the Children’s Miracle Network.

“Kickin’ It For The Kids” is the theme of this year’s marathon.

The money raised by the marathon will directly benefit children in central Iowa, said Eric Paisley, executive co-director of Dance Marathon 1999.

Each dancer paid a $25 registration fee and was responsible for raising an additional $100 through sponsorships.

Last year’s event raised $18,000, but this year’s proceeds will not be known until Saturday, said Paisley, senior in management and information systems and transportation logistics.

A fund-allocating committee will take requests from families to determine what is needed most, and “we will go out and purchase these items for the families,” he said.

Jamie Bindner, Morale co-director, is responsible for 30 team captains who choreograph the Morale Dance.

“The Morale Dance is taught at the beginning of the day and is done every hour after,” said Bindner, junior in biology.

The dancers are divided into teams, and each team sponsors a specific family. This allows students to become acquainted with the children and their families, she said.

“One family will tell their story every hour,” Bindner said. “The dancers really get to see where their money is going.”

The Iowa State Dance Marathon is a young program, but it has grown over the past year, said Jen Barlow, executive co-public relations director of Dance Marathon 1999.

“Things have really evolved and come together well this year,” said Barlow, sophomore in journalism and mass communication.

The major goal of the Dance Marathon executive council was to expand the participation.

“We wanted to make Dance Marathon an all-university event,” Barlow said. “Participation is roughly 50-50 between greek and non-greek students this year.”

Dance Marathon 1998 was held in conjunction with Greek Week, which limited participation to members of the greek community, Barlow said.

“Last year, each house was required to have a specific number of members dance, but this year, all of the dancers are doing it by free will,” she said.

The dancers will be spending 12 hours on their feet while partaking in games, listening to speakers and different performers and talking to the children and families, Barlow said.

The Nadas, a local band, will be performing for the group, and the executive council intends to have a video link so that ISU’s Dance Marathon participants can be connected to Dance Marathons at other schools around the country, Bindner said.

One of the families who participated in last year’s marathon is returning this year after losing a child, Bindner said.

“Many of the dancers continue to correspond with these kids by writing and sending pictures,” Barlow said. “Some ISU students have even attended funerals of these children.”

Students who are interested in helping March 6 can contact Cara Fast, volunteer recruitment chairwoman for Dance Marathon 1999, at [email protected].

Dance Marathon is a student-run and student-funded event.