Growing up a good friend of Terrance Lewis was a patient at the Riley Hospital for Children.
She often told her story at the hospital’s Dance Marathon fundraisers that Lewis would attend, he said.
“My freshman year of high school she made me promise I would continue to do Dance Marathons until I couldn’t do them anymore. So I’m still doing it,” said the junior finance major.
Lewis is currently the vice president of USI Dance Marathon.
The USI Dance Marathon is an annual 8-hour, philanthropic event that raises awareness and funds for the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dancing commences from 2p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the RFWC.
“Just participating in the event will change your life,” Lewis said. “Not only making you a philanthropist but it will introduce you to some of the best friends of your life.”
Lewis and senior accounting major Ryan Smith have been a part of the event for several years and have even acquired some new friendships through the organization.
Smith has been participating in Dance Marathons for five years and first got involved during his senior year of high school when his teacher recruited him.
“The first year my school did Dance Marathon it was really successful,” Smith said. “And it really impacted me to see all the work that went into it and how it benefited the kids, so I just continued to do it.”
All the money raised from the marathon goes to Riley Hospital for Children to help fund medical bills, research and the treatments.
The length of the event varies across campuses nationwide, some lasting 40 hours.
Students must remain standing the entire time of the event, which follows the theme, “Standing for those who can’t.”
Smith said the best part is getting to hear stories from Riley.
“We have families coming from Indianapolis and Evansville whose children have been through or are going through Riley and they share their stories and offer a lot of prospective to the students,” Smith said. “I think it is by far the greatest motivation you get for doing this.”
The organization hosts several fundraisers for Riley including give back nights at local restaurants, canning outside of Wal-Mart and accepting online donations.
Students and volunteers can meet the Riley children at the Dance Marathons.
Smith and Lewis said that even though many of the kids have been through horrible experiences, they still have some of the highest spirits.
“One of the great things about a Riley Hospital fundraiser is knowing that they never turn any child away regardless of illness or the family’s financial state,” Smith said. “It’s a really rewarding experience and supports a great cause.”
