Registration starts at 7:30 a.m., run-in starts at 9 a.m. and the reveal of funds raised will happen at midnight. Some, if not all, of the participants will be awake and on their feet for between 15 and 17 1/2 hours.

They wear teal shirts with the phrase “Saturdays are for the kids” along with teal accessories and the acronym “FTK” written in permanent marker on hands and faces.

While friends and team members mill about and socialize in different parts of the Memorial Union, Dance Marathon is, like every other year, about something bigger than themselves. 

In 1998, Dance Marathon was a 10-hour event sponsored by the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Governing Councils, and took place in the basement of State Gym, raising over $20,000 for families and children who have been treated at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital and have benefitted from Children’s Miracle Network.

In its 21st iteration, Dance Marathon, or “DM” takes place in the Memorial Union, and has a wide variety of activities to keep participants energized and on their feet until “Power Hour” and the reveal of funds raised at midnight. 

Some students stand for family members or close friends, and others feel such deep connections to Dance Marathon and its mission that they return to Iowa State to participate in Dance Marathon even after they have graduated.

Freshman Cami Schrier and alumna Becky Wrolson have two such stories. 

Schrier stands for her sister

Schrier, freshman in elementary education, has had ties to Dance Marathon since 2009. Her little sister, Gracie, was born in 2007, and had both Down Syndrome and a hole in her heart. Gracie was treated at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, and Dance Marathon paid for a lot of the Schrier’s medical expenses during Gracie’s treatment.

“We’ve been coming since 2009,” said Schrier. “We stopped coming in 2014 for family reasons, but I stand because of her because she can’t stand here today.”

At the end of 2008, Schrier’s family was invited by Iowa State Dance Marathon to attend Dance Marathon in 2009 as a “miracle child,” as they were the ones who came to the hospital and made a connection with Schrier’s family. 

“One of the nurses at the U of I hospital that my sister was staying in, they kind of told my mom a little bit about it [Dance Marathon] and they also told Dance Marathon…my mom went and researched and they kind of just contacted each other,” Schrier said. 

After the initial invitation, members of Iowa State Dance Marathon have remained involved in the Schriers’ lives, even going so far as to bringing Dance Marathon to the Schrier’s home in Muscatine, Iowa when they could not make it Iowa State’s campus for the event.

“In 2012, we got snowed in at our house the day of Dance Marathon,” Schrier said. “A couple weekends later, our morale team came to Muscatine to our church and brought a whole bunch of stuff for us to do a mini Dance Marathon at our house. That was really impactful. They took the time out of their busy schedules to drive three and a half hours to spend time with this little girl because she couldn’t make it.”

Gracie’s morale team, a group assigned to a specific family, has also come to her cheerleading competitions and made an effort to meet up with the Schrier family when they were in town. One year, Gracie’s birthday fell on Dance Marathon, and her morale group, a group of fraternity brothers, serenaded her for her birthday.  

“They’re kind of just a little support system,” Schrier said. “They change every year, but we still see them every year. I think it’s really helpful for her because she has this little body, just running around trying to have a blast, and she has all these people that stand behind her- no matter if she needs something or if she doesn’t need something, they’re still there.” 

While Schrier’s family has been participating since 2009, the meaning of the event has changed for Schrier now that she has participated as a dancer and member of a team, not just a family member. 

“As a family member you get to sit down, you get to be recognized as the family, whereas I’m a dancer now, I have the choice to stand with them [families] and I do stand all day,” Schrier said. “My mom would ask me ‘Are you gonna do it? I didn’t know if you’d do it’ and I was like ‘No, I have to do this’ because these kids are depending on people to be there for them, and I want to be that person.”

Dancing as an alumna: Wrolson’s story 

Among the students and family members participating in Dance Marathon, one has returned to Iowa State to continue to support the philanthropy she fell in love with three years ago. 

Wrolson graduated from Iowa State in December 2017 with a degree in supply chain management. She got involved in Dance Marathon through her roommate, but Wrolson also had friends who had been treated for illnesses at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. As an alumna, she was part of Recruitment and Dance Relations, and was tasked with keeping dancers pumped up at all times. 

“You gotta have your Disney face on all the time,” said Wrolson. “It’s still the same experience, purpose and mindset. I’m glad I was able to come back.” 

Despite graduating, Wrolson was able to recruit friends who are still attending Iowa State to participate in Dance Marathon with her this year. She said her favorite part of being involved with the event was “when families tell their story” every hour. 

“You could be exhausted or have three finals, but then go to a Dance Marathon meeting and a family tells their story…it puts you back up and reminds you why you are there,” Wrolson said. 

Despite graduating, Wrolson still plans to come back to Iowa State’s Dance Marathon and participate in what is now the largest philanthropy on campus. 

“Once you’re in Dance Marathon, it’s kind of part of your life,” Wrolson said. 

As the clock ticked closer to midnight, participants gathered in the Great Hall at the end of “Power Hour” and watched the amount of money raised increase on the big screen onstage. The lights went out and when they came back on, participants onstage flipped over the large white posters they had been hiding from the crowd. 

The room erupted in cheers as it was revealed that Dance Marathon had raised $332,763.21 for its 21st year.