On the night of Friday, April 17, 2015, Greek Senate hosted the second annual Kean Dance Marathon (KDM). Last year, when the Leadership Institute hosted the event $12,518.10 was raised to help children receive the best care a child can receive at Children’s Specialized Hospital, located in Mountainside, New Jersey.
But this year was different; with a goal of $20,000, the student body of Kean University and other groups like Girl Scouts and students from The Boys and Girls club of Carteret High school, who helped raise over $300, came together to complete the goal ultimately raising more than $25,000. It has been said that “every new beginning begins with some other beginning’s end,” and that is exactly what happened at this year’s KDM. Lauren Rosenthal, graduate assistant (GA) of Greek affairs who is majoring in counseling-clinical mental health, assisted the Greek Senate in organizing the entire event from the ground up. Rosenthal stated, “every kid deserves a chance to be a kid, and every parent deserves the chance to be a parent.”
This 12-hour long marathon—which began at 12 p.m. and ended at 12 a.m. in Downs Hall—held multiple facets of entertainment such as water pong, bean bag toss, face painting, ring toss, twister, and raffling were just a few of the activities set up that were secondary to the main event: dancing. Dj Ibn helped in keeping the dance momentum going throughout the day by providing club, pop, and other trendy music. Ibn stated, “I think it’s a great chance to raise money for a good cause as well as a chance to interact socially with people.”
Hundreds of people, from students to faculty to those who are not a part of the Kean University community, walked through the doors of Downs Hall not knowing what was going to occur. Music blasted through the speakers as people played games, enjoyed drinks, and made small talk.
Around 1 p.m. the Kean University Gospel Choir stepped on stage and performed a fabulous performance. “I like the gospel choir,” Adrienne Middleton, a senior majoring in psychology, comments, “…And I hope that everyone comes together tonight to have a great time.”
There were a few guests at KDM, including two children who were treated at Children's Specialized Hospital. In February 2011, a young boy named Bryce was hit by an impatient driver and dragged 60 feet, leaving him in a coma. “He was hit so hard,” Bryce’s mother said, “that his shoes and socks had flown off his feet.” The speaker continued her speech by thanking everyone for donating their time and money to Children’s Specialized Hospital. Without any money raised from the community outside and inside the university, many children who go to Children’s Specialized Hospital may not get the treatment that they need because of financial problems.
The other child who had attended KDM was a young girl named Arianna. Arianna was hit at the bridge of her nose with an arrow, accidently, while at a play-date. Although the doctors said she might not make it, she stayed strong and made it through surgery. “They told us she may never be able to speak to us again,” Arianna’s mom comments, “and now sometimes we have to tell her to take a break.” This comes to show that with the help of other people, miracles like these can happen. “And it is great to see adults like you guys doing something great like this,” concludes Arianna’s mom.
Throughout the night there were different performances, such as a dance from the Girl Scout troop present at the event and there was also lot of strolling from members of Greek Life. Around 5 p.m. prizes were given away to anyone who had entered the raffle. The raffle offered elegant prizes such as a Michael Kors bag, a Bluetooth speaker, as well as a $25 Target gift card. Students were also able to buy t-shirts designed by the center for leadership and service (CLS).
Many students much like junior and special education history major Terrance Samesla-McCornell, were excited to attend KDM. “I was looking forward to this event,” says Samesla-McCornell, “I took off of work for this, and I hope they raise twice as much as they did last year.” But what took people by storm were the guest performances. The first guest performance was New Jersey based band Garden State Line. They came out with a bang and continued to get the crowd going with several of their songs, resulting students to go onto the dance floor and begin strolling.
Hours after the first act, another band with the name of Backseat Love Affair came to stage and they rocked the house. The band played cover songs, mainly hits from the ‘90s until today; but people were on their feet, dancing and singing along to songs like “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind, “Slide” by The Goo Goo Dolls, and “Shut Up and Dance With Me” by Walk The Moon. The crowd was enjoying Backseat Love Affair so much that some students went on stage, took the microphone and began singing along to “Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G.
“I think tonight was cute and fun,” comments Bhriana Smith, who is currently a junior majoring in communication journalism, “I hope they double the amount they raise this year than last year.” And many people can agree with her as alumni Phillip Foreman comments how “great the event is. It is great to see everyone come together for such a great cause.”
At the end of the night, the hopes of everyone came true as $25,516.43 was raised for Children’s Specialized Hospital setting a new record making KDM the largest Children's Miracle Network dance fundraiser in New Jersey. If it was not for the help of students, faculty, staff, and outside supporters, the goal would not have been reached. Alex Louis, assistant director for Greek affairs, reminded everyone just how important this fundraiser is, and why everyone was there. With R. Kelly’s I believe I can fly playing in the background, and Louis’s highly energetic speech, he managed to make the announcement truly a memorable moment of the evening. All in all the second annual dance marathon was a great success, and set the standard for next year, as well as future years to come.
KDM 2016 is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 15, 2016. Those wishing to donate can do so online at http://keandm.kintera.org/.
