UNC Charlotte “University in Action” 2013-14
Student Co-curricular Engagement
The Levine Scholars Program is UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious merit scholarship program. Established in 2009 by benefactors, Sandra and Leon Levine, 15 high school seniors are selected each year to join this program. Emulating the role that the Levine’s have bestowed upon the Charlotte community, key tenets to awarded recipients are scholarship, ethical leadership and civic engagement. These key tenets serve as the foundation and the compass for Levine Scholars as they navigate their way through their collegiate experience.
As the first class to finish their collegiate experience at UNC Charlotte, the Levine Scholars wanted a signature service project to commemorate their legacy. Through much brainstorming, the Levine Scholars selected Dance Marathon. Dance Marathon is a nationwide movement involving college and high school students at more than 150 schools across the country, all raising funds for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in their community. The UNC Charlotte Dance Marathon connected more than 1,000 UNC Charlotte students in the mission to raise funds “For the Kids” (FTK) at Levine Children’s Hospital, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
To support this worthwhile cause, Levine Scholars established a committee a year prior to the actual event. Coordinating 12 hours of entertainment, food, music, lighting technology, and volunteer power, including emcees and student organizers for additional non-dance activities, was not an easy task. The student leaders involved in dance marathon devoted countless hours to engaging in weekly committee and leadership team meetings, participating in fundraising events on and off campus, and leading presentations for diverse UNC Charlotte student organizations like athletic teams, academic and extracurricular clubs, and fraternities and sororities. Throughout this process, students learned invaluable leadership and life skills while raising funds and interacting with Children’s Hospital patients and families.
After months of envisioning what UNC Charlotte’s first-ever Dance Marathon would look like, on November 13, 2013, nearly a year after their first planning meeting, UNC charlotte Dance Marathon finally arrived. In the early morning hours before the marathon’s 7 PM kickoff, students from the Levine Scholars Program and Dance Marathon planning committees gathered in the Student Union to set the scenes for the 12-hour dance event. From designing the floor plans, preparing meals and snacks, to orchestrating entertainment acts, and organizing event logistics, these dedicated students came to create an unforgettable night of philanthropy and fun for the UNC Charlotte student body and greater Charlotte community. Standing on-stage with families whose children were treated at Levine Children’s Hospital, feeling the energy and enthusiasm of the student dancers, and discovering that Dance Marathon had raised so much money for such an important cause was inspiring for all who participated.
The night culminated with the UNC Charlotte Dance Marathon raising more than $35,000.00 for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. With the new Dance Marathon leadership team already in place for Dance Marathon 2014, Dance Marathon will soon be welcomed as a new NINER tradition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hM8uNBtaNA
http://www.uncc.edu/spotlight/2013/spotlight-dance-marathon-raises-thousands-charity
http://now.uncc.edu/event/230
https://inside.uncc.edu/news/item/first-dance-marathon-benefits-levine-children%E2%80%99s-hospital
Student Co-curricular Engagement 7/30/2014