Dance Marathon: Fundraising to Flow from Strategic Beginnings

Laura Bock refers to herself as the “practical one” among the three recent OU Dance Marathon chairmen.

While she is equally as passionate as her peers about Children’s Miracle Network, the event's beneficiary, she recognizes the need for improved sponsorship and recruitment strategies, Bock said.

Campus Activities Council general council members selected the sophomore chemistry major as OU Dance Marathon 2011 chairwoman this past April, according to Campus Activities Council documents.

Following advice from her predecessors, she invested countless hours evaluating the focuses of previous chairmen, and deciding which goals she will emphasize, Bock said.

“Last year, I was really impacted by every child’s story and the struggles that they go through,” Bock said, “I think we need to raise more money for them.”

The newly initiated chairwoman will focus on the financial angle of the event, making it a more efficient fundraiser than it has been in the past, Bock said.

“There are several changes I have in mind that will amp-up the recruitment, as well as increase our potential profits from the event,” Bock said.

Having served on the sponsorship committee during her freshman year, and as director of programming last year, she witnessed first-hand the leadership of her forerunners and was inspired by their efforts, Bock said.

The Rule of Thirds

“It is a tradition that every chairman has a focused angle, and I think it allows our event to grow each year and expand upon previous years,” Bock said.

During the past two years, the 2009 chairman, Klint Neal, and his successor, Danielle Bourgeois, the 2010 chairwoman, were the leaders constructing the areas of focus, according to Campus Activities Council archives.

Quy Nguyen, assistant director of OU Student Life, had his first experience advising OU Dance Marathon with Neal, Nguyen said.

“For Klint, the focus was on making the event more fun,” Nguyen said, “[he] decided to shorten the time, so that it is less of a commitment for participants and coordinators can focus more on programming.”

Before Neal’s involvement as chairman, the event lasted from four in the afternoon to around seven the next morning, in comparison to the current preferred eight-hour event, Nguyen said.

Assistant director of OU Recreational Services Garry Armstrong hosts the OU Dance Marathon event at the Huston Huffman facility and has seen the event transform, Armstrong said.

“The inflatable games, mini games, sporting activities and DJ are in close proximity to aid in the fun and excitement for participating miracle children and students,” Armstrong said.

When Bourgeois became chairwoman, she decided to aim her focus on the miracle children, signing every e-mail and letter with “For the Kids”, Nguyen said.

During her term, she employed an Adopt-a-Family program and invited families involved with Children’s Miracle Network to speak at committee meetings, Nguyen said.

Jennifer Linck, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Sponsor Coordinator and liaison between Children’s Miracle Network and OU Dance Marathon, also advised the previous chairmen, Linck said.

“[Neal and Bourgeois] have laid an amazing foundation for the future of OU Dance Marathon,” Linck said, “and I feel like each year we will continue to have a more successful event.”

As the third in this line-up of visionary chairmen, Bock will draw inspiration from her predecessors' areas of focus, Bock said.

Dancing for Endorsement

Among focusing on fundraising and recruitment for the event, Bock has pledged to make attempts to increase the involvement of OU administration, Bock said.

“We are going to try to build the event into something that is worthy of [OU administration’s] attention,” Bock said.

The lack of visible endorsement from university officials for OU Dance Marathon was discussed at the last 2010 committee meeting on February 17, and again at a transition team meeting composed of former committee members on March 8, according to minutes from the meetings.

“I think the push should be for more student support than administrative,” Nguyen said, “university officials support the event, whether implicitly or explicitly.”

President Boren declined requests to attend the past two OU Dance Marathon events, according to letters from his office.

At the beginning of each semester, a list of events, dates and times is sent to the offices of university officials, including President Boren, informing them that their presence is requested, Nguyen said.

Linck says that in order to progress to the next level, OU Dance Marathon needs further support from OU administration.

“We would love to have President Boren and other OU [administration] involved,” said Linck, “especially because the money we raise goes to the Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center and stays in the state of Oklahoma.”

Along with OU Dance Marathon, there are other substantial student-led philanthropy initiatives that require the attention of OU administration, including Big Event and Relay for Life, Nguyen said.

The Inclusive Leader

Bock perceives her responsibilities as OU Dance Marathon 2011 chairwoman as extending beyond coordinating the event, organizing meetings and fundraising.

“One of my big goals is to empower everyone on [my committee] and make them feel as much a part of the event as I do,” Bock said.

OU Dance Marathon 2011 directors will be officially selected when the fall semester commences, followed by the selection of the executive committee through an application and interview process, Bock said.

Quy Nguyen and Laura Bock discuss what they envision for students' involvement with Dance Marathon 2011.

*I was a member of the OU Dance Marathon 2010 executive committee.

DELT DIVE HOSTS VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Delta Tau Delta fraternity hosts its annual philanthropy event, Delt Dive, Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The philanthropy event raises funds for The Bleed Purple Foundation, which supports college students who are diagnosed with cancer.

"This year, we are having a volleyball tournament, featuring Matt Boggs Band and having a crawfish boil," said freshman Delta Tau Delta member Chance Bridges.

To learn more about Delta Tau Delta and Bleed Purple, visit www.delts.org.

OU STUDENTS VOLUNTEER FOR BIG EVENT

The Big Event, an annual volunteer initiative at the University of Oklahoma, gave students an opportunity to help communities around the metroplex this weekend, April 10.

"My group for Big Event went to Oklahoma City to volunteer for Feed the Children," said sophomore participant Ann Dexter.

Students completed tasks such as painting churches, packing boxes of food and cleaning parks and recreational areas.

To learn more about Big Event, visit bigevent.ou.edu.

BIG EVENT HOSTS FIRST MEETING

PIZZA PARTY RAISES FUNDS FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

MIDTERM: DANCE MARATHON REQUIRES SUPPORT FOR SURVIVAL

Sophomore Laura Bock, Dance Marathon 2010 Programming Director, opens a thank you note from Jayce, an OU Children's Hospital patient who attended Dance Marathon.

Bock talks about the benefit of OU administrative support for Dance Marathon.

Anna Salamy’s life was described to her as a cocoon waiting to become a butterfly - although she was a prisoner in her body, she would receive a new body in heaven, explained her family.

In her five years of life, Anna endured a liver resection, two living-donor transplants, five rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries due to her diagnosis of Hepatoblastoma, according to an OU Medical Center publication.

“Anna loved Dance Marathon at OU,” said Jennifer Linck, Sponsor Coordinator for Children’s Hospital Foundation. “She received support, both financially and emotionally, from [the event].”

Although DM provides strength to children like Anna, without further support from OU administration and faculty leaders, DM could become obsolete at OU.

DM is a nationwide movement benefitting Children’s Miracle Network at over 130 schools across the country, according to Zac Johnson, DM National Chair.

Support from OU DM funds life-saving pediatric research locally at the Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center.

Direct backing from OU leaders, like President Boren and Bob Stoops, may contribute to the future survival of OU DM.

At many universities, the college president, athletic teams and campus icons are highlighted at the DM event, increasing recruitment and sponsorship.

“The more support and participation we have from the university, the more money we will raise,” said Linck.

Boren and Stoops’ attendance at DM 2010 was requested by invitation: Stoops sent an apologetic letter declining due to a schedule conflict and there was no response from Boren, according to Linck’s files.

Stoops frequently visits the Children’s Hospital without involving the media, signing autographs and playing with the kids, as said by Linck.

OU community leaders that were featured at DM 2010 included two doctors from OU Medical Center, a performance by OU Pom, Miss OU 2010 and a group of miracle families, according to an event itinerary.

For the past two years, OU DM has contributed approximately $30,000-$34,000 to CMN, according to Campus Activities Council invoices.

Similarly to OU, the University of Iowa focuses their philanthropic efforts solely on DM; however, they raised $1,058,568 through DM in 2010.

Also this year, DM at UCLA raised $407,223, $7,838,054 at Penn State and $854,396 at Northwestern University, according to their respective websites.

“The [University of] Iowa DM and other successful DM programs have a great presence of university officials,” said Danielle Bourgeois, OU DM 2010 Chair. “Their president and recognizable leaders make a huge impact on their ability to attain sponsorships.”

Upon brainstorming ways to involve university officials in the upcoming year, Bourgeois suggested that her executive committee write letters to Boren.

The committee acknowledged that Boren and administration can receive great advantages through DM – monetary support for OU Medical Center, publicity and charity.

Before the letters were sent, a warning was given.

“As an office who is supervised by Vice President Clarke Stroud, who directly reports to President Boren, the support comes from having people like me and [Assistant Director] Kristen Partridge on staff,” said Quy Nguyen, Assistant Director of Student Life and DM advisor.

“By serving as representatives of President Boren, we put 110% into DM because we believe in the cause and know that the rest of the university does too,” said Nguyen.

The letters intended for Boren from committee members have yet to be sent, according to Bourgeois.

The donation given to OU Medical Center from DM is significantly less than most of the donations they receive.

A recent gift of $500,000 was donated to the OU Medical Center from Ally’s House, devoted to helping children diagnosed with cancer, according to oumedicine.com.

Because financial aid from OU DM is considered to be lacking, a group of employees at the Children’s Hospital have discussed ending the partnership between OU Medical Center and OU DM, cancelling the event altogether, according to Linck.

DM is OU's largest student-run philanthropic initiative.

Although financial support from the event is small in comparison, it contributes to keeping funds in Oklahoma so that no child has to leave the state to receive the best medical care possible.

Aside from raising funds, a less obvious result of DM is inspiring strength in the kids and encouraging generosity and awareness in participants.

“The university community is a family,” said Garry Armstrong, Assistant Director of OU Recreational Services. “This partnership [between OU Medical Center and OU DM] reflects well upon the OU family through the dedication of students, faculty and staff.”

“Even with hard economic times, DM still attracts students to take time out of their busy schedule and fundraise for a worthy cause,” said Armstrong.

Students, faculty and community members who attended DM 2010 were introduced to Oklahoma children like Anna, fighting diseases at a young age.

“Ultimately, DM is a great way for OU students to support their university while helping Oklahoma’s kids,” said Linck.

Future DM committee members will focus on transforming DM as a cocoon to a butterfly by encouraging additional support from OU leaders, according to Bourgeois.

*I was a member of the DM 2010 executive committee.

SORORITY MEMBERS PREPARE FOR FALL RECRUITMENT

Sophomore member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Jackie Ragan, talks about the importance of early preparation for fall sorority recruitment.

Sororities in the OU Panhellenic system are beginning preparations for fall recruitment, which does not commence until August 12.

"The earlier we start, the more time we have to relax when recruitment arrives," said junior advertising major Madylan Mcgehee.

Members of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority described the process of recruitment - skits, conversation, decorations and more. Recruitment involves all of the members in a sorority, requiring practice to orchestrate at most 200 girls in the process.

Sorority recruitment begins August 12, culminating on bid day, August 17.

*I am a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.