By: Erica Lampert ~Staff Writer~

Xavier University Dance Marathon (XUDM) will kick off its year-round fundraising activities for Cincinnati Children’s Medical Hospital with the Cincinnati Benefit Concert for Children, featuring hip-hop artist Mike Stud, on Nov. 15.

“We work tirelessly throughout the year planning various events, working with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, communicating with Champions Families and applying for donations and sponsorships,” President of XUDM Tory Kennedy said.

The Student Activities Council is pairing up with the XUDM team to provide buses to this fundraising event.

Tickets will be sold on Nov. 4 in Brockman and Kuhlman and on Nov. 11 and Nov. 14 in Fenwick Hall.

“A portion of ticket sales is being donated to Dance Marathon, so we would love it if people would attend,” Kennedy said.

XUDM holds numerous benefit events every year in order to raise money for the children at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Aside from the benefit concert XUDM will hold a Dance Marathon in January to raise awareness in pediatrics and research.

“The Dance Marathon is a 12-hour dance-a-thon where students stand and dance for the entire duration of the event for the children who can’t,” Kennedy said.

The Dance Marathon was created to show support for patients and families at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, to have students understand the various battles terminally ill children face, to raise money and awareness for the children and to bond Xavier University as a community.

XUDM has a Disk Jockey playing music, Champion Families retelling their stories about their experiences at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, free food and tons of prizes during this event.
“We always have a raffle with donated items such as restaurant gift cards, or Reds tickets. We also have had food donated every hour from companies including Chipotle, Naked Pizza and Noodles & Company,” Kennedy said.

XUDM plans to raise over $15,000 for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital from the Dance Marathon from the students and staff at Xavier.

“Students and staff should attend the dance because we cannot do it without them,” Kennedy said. “We need people to help us raise money to support Cincinnati Children’s and to come to the event to help support the patients and families who attend. The success of the event is a community effort, and we want people to get involved.”

All of the money raised at the dance will go to Charitable Care fund at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to help pay for the care of children whose families cannot afford treatment and to the hospital’s research fund.

“Dance Marathon makes a huge difference to these families experiencing difficult times because XUDM provides them with people who care,” Kennedy said. “Hearing these children and families speak, and understanding the struggles they’ve gone through will touch every single student in unimaginable ways.”

XUDM plans to create various other small fundraisers throughout the year, in addition to its benefit concert and dance marathon to raise money for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
“XUDM is important because Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is so important,” Kennedy said. “The medical center is not merely important to Cincinnati, it is important to the entire world.”