Cal Poly hosts annual dance marathon fundraiser
Cal Poly’s annual dance marathon was held on March 5 on Dexter Lawn to help raise money for the Cottage Children’s Medical Center in Santa Barbara.
The money goes toward families’ hospital expenses and to the hospital to provide extra care for children going through different treatments.
Though the event only lasted one day, the Cal Poly Dance Marathon club (CPDM) has been preparing all year, according to business finance junior and CPDM president Taylor Piatt.
“We fundraise all year,” Piatt said. “We booth, we recruit all year long. During winter or early spring quarter we have this event that celebrates what we’ve done throughout the year [and] celebrates the people that have helped us.”
Piatt and three other CPDM executive board members are in charge of maintaining the communication between their club and Cottage Children’s Medical Center.
CPDM is a part of a larger organization called National Dance Marathon. There are various other chapters at other universities across the nation, each of which fundraises for their own local hospitals.
Cal Poly’s chapter is smaller than other universities’ chapters, but the team is working on expanding the organization for future years, according to Piatt.
“I would really love to see more attraction from students on this campus,” Piatt said. “I would also love to get the community more involved.”
To prepare for this year’s dance marathon, CPDM coordinated live performances, while continuously fundraising for its cause in the year leading up to the event. The day was carnival-themed and included song and dance performances as well as games like pie-in-the-face, corn hole and life-sized connect four.
During the four-hour event, CPDM raised roughly $1,400 for Cottage Children’s Medical Center. This amount raised plus the funds raised throughout the rest of the year added up to a total of about $14,000 for the hospital.
Business administration junior Lexi McFarlane is involved with CPDM as the event logistics league.
“I definitely want to be a part of this club going forward, even after graduation,” McFarlane said. “I can see this club being much bigger than it already is.”
Even though the event is held just once a year, people are still able to donate year-round through their website.
