Students Raise $241,514.64 for Pediatric Oncology Clinic

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 3, 2007) − After 24 hours of non-stop dancing, they were exhausted and footsore, but it didn’t show when more than 465 University of Kentucky students celebrated – with tears and cheers – the last few minutes of DanceBlue 2007.
 

After a year of fund raising that culminated with a 24-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon, the students achieved inspiring results, $241.514.64, nearly double last year’s total – for the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital. 

The second annual DanceBlue, the UK Student Volunteer Center’s largest student-run philanthropy, involved hundreds of students on the dance floor, on the stage, and behind the scenes raising money on behalf of the Golden Matrix Fund. The fund provides families who have a child with cancer with emotional support and financial aid, and supports pediatric cancer research at UK.  The money students raised also funds improvements to the facilities and services for pediatric cancer patients at UK.

Last year, the students raised more than $123,000. 

In addition to fund raising, 16 student organizations are involved with the Adopt-A-Family program, which pairs students with the families of pediatric cancer patients. Students provide emotional support for the families and organize fun activities for the patients and siblings. 

Speaking to the dancers and volunteers at the Saturday night finale, Dr. Jeffrey A. Moscow, director of the Pediatric Oncology Clinic and professor of pediatrics and chief of pediatric hematology-oncology at UK, said, “Every time our families drive through the campus to get to our clinic, they know they are surrounded by a community of students who care about them. 

“The money you have raised makes a real difference in our ability to provide the best care to our patients. Every day of the year, these children benefit from what you have done in the last 24 hours, because the money you have raised goes to provide support for families of children with cancer.  It also helps fund our clinical research program to find better therapies for children with cancer, and this year it will help us start a new long-term follow-up clinic to better serve the survivors of childhood cancer.”

At the closing ceremony Saturday night, several student organizations were singled out for special recognition. For overall spirit and collecting the most contributions to DanceBlue, the coveted Golden Matrix Cup was awarded to Alpha Pi Omega, a UK service fraternity that has both male and female members. The Overall Small Group winner was the UK healthcare Professional Education Preparation Program (PEPP); the Overall Medium Group winner was UK’s Habitat for Humanity, and the Overall Large Group winner was UK sorority Kappa Delta.

In addition, individual fundraising and spirit awards went to:

Small Group Spirit

 Medium Group Spirit

 Large Group Spirit

 Small Group Fund Raising

 Medium Group Fund Raising

 Large Group Fund Raising