October 10, 2022

As three MU students heard their names called in a large auditorium during the 2022 Dance Marathon Leadership Conference in Atlanta, they screamed with joy as they stepped forward to be recognized on behalf of MizzouThon, the largest student-run philanthropy on campus. 

Their names were Erin Quaid, Lauren Huff and Kyle Halveland. They had just received a Miracle Maker Award.  

Founded in 1991 at Indiana University, Miracle Network Dance Marathon was started in honor of a boy named Ryan White. At 13, Ryan was diagnosed with AIDS, traced back to a necessary blood transfusion he underwent to treat his hemophilia. His diagnosis led to a long stretch of hardship for him and his family as they dealt with backlash from their community. 

Jill Stewart, a student of IU at the time, founded Indiana University Dance Marathon shortly after Ryan died from AIDS in 1990 — which would grow to become a nationwide effort in support of other children and families like his. 

Currently, MizzouThon supports MU’s Children’s Hospital — one of the 170 children’s hospitals that benefit from Dance Marathon chapters. Schools that show significant growth in both participation numbers as well as total donations receive the Miracle Maker Distinction, which MizzouThon earned at the leadership conference in 2022 after a positive growth of more than 70%.

“The way MizzouThon works is that all of the money we raise goes directly to the children’s hospital,” senior President Nicole Lawson said. “Every member sets fundraising goals for the year. We do Facebook fundraisers, social media fundraisers, and everyone tries to reach their goals that way.”

MizzouThon also takes its fundraising effort to people and businesses all over Columbia.

“We do profit shares with local businesses … last week we did one with Noodles and Company,” Lawson said. “We also do canning every weekend at places like Hy-Vee, where we just stand outside with our board and our Venmo.”

MizzouThon also utilizes sponsorships with local businesses, putting their name and logo on t-shirts and other merchandise. 

Within the program, 75 members serve as a part of the general leadership team, some of whom hold higher executive positions. Those members coordinate events, set up sponsorships and lead the fundraising effort on behalf of the organization.

“Freshman year, I was just a member looking for anything to get involved with on campus,” Lawson said. “I actually toured IU before I decided to come to Mizzou. They are where Dance Marathon originated, so it was something that they talked about a lot. When I found out Mizzou had something similar, I was really excited to get involved with that here.”

Though the fundraising is mostly year-round for MizzouThon members, all of it builds up to the centerpiece of the organization: the Main Event. 

Members, leadership and the miracle families come out for the 13.1-hour-long event where they dance, hang out, eat and show their support for the children they’ve impacted throughout the year. In its entirety, the Main Event serves as the organization’s final fundraiser, as members still have the opportunity to raise money during the time they spend there. 

The event concludes with a reveal of the total amount of money the organization raised, where every member and leadership executive finds out for the first time how much money was raised. 

In 2021, MizzouThon raised $71,116.86 despite facing the challenges of COVID-19, including having to cancel the Main Event the previous year. Before the pandemic, MizzouThon had raised more than $150,000 for Children’s Hospital for the eighth year in a row. 

“Following COVID-19 … it was hard to engage with people on campus,” Lawson said. “Our fundraising numbers were a little lower, so [we are] kind of working our way back after the pandemic to try and get our presence back on campus and increase our amounts.”

Currently, MizzouThon has had 98 members sign up for the Main Event, but plans to continue its effort, getting more people to sign up and to donate to its cause. 

“This year, I’m most excited to hopefully get more people [to the Main Event],” Lawson said. “I think we’ve been more present on campus with the start of school, and we’re really trying to get people to know who we are. I’m looking forward to getting more people involved … because the atmosphere is really special. It’s so many people all doing one thing.”

Now in her fourth year — her third on the leadership team for MizzouThon — Nicole Lawson took on the president position and responsibilities for the ongoing school year in preparation for this year’s Main Event, which will be held at MizzouRec on March 4, 2023. 

“I was nervous stepping into the president role,” Lawson said. “Our president last year, who I’m very close with … did such a great job of bringing us back after a pandemic. I like that she trusts in me and … I feel confident, and I think that we’re going to have a great year.”

Any student can visit MizzouThon’s official website to donate to the cause, register to become a member or attend the Main Event at mizzouthon.com. All donations will directly benefit MU Health Care’s Children’s Hospital through Miracle Network Dance Marathon.

Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight and Jacob Richey

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