By: Azl Saeed ~Staff Writer~

Dance, dance, dance the day and part of the night away saturday and do your part for Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. the Xavier University Dance Marathon (XUDM) will shake the rafters of the Gallagher Student Center hosting the annual MuskieTHON fundraiser.

The event itself will be filled with dancing, games, free food and many other activities to keep students energized and excited.

In addition, families who have benefited from previous donations made by XUDM will be there to share their stories. All the money raised will go directly to families that cannot afford the cost of their children’s medical care.

Sophomore Elizabeth Westerheide serves as the corporate fundraising coordinator on the XUDM executive board.

In this position, Westerheide seeks donations from companies for prizes and other funding. She attributes part of her motivation for participating in the planning of this event to the people whom she has met along the way.

“I had never heard of Dance Marathon until last year when I decided to attend MuskieTHON,” Westerheide said.

“At the event, I was able to hear the champion families’ stories about how Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center helped their child. I was able to see the difference I would make in a sick child’s life through fundraising and participating in MuskieTHON,” Westerheide said.

Through participating in this event last year, Westerheide was inspired to join the board this year.

“After MuskieTHON, I felt great about what I had done for the kids, and I wanted to do more, so I signed up to be a member of the XUDM Board,” Westerheide said.

While the event does focus around a variety of activities for the purpose of entertainment, the focus is more about celebrating the fundraising to help the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

The hospital relies on donations each year to supply equipment and advancements that are necessary to keeping a state-ofthe- art facility. To emphasize this point, XUDM frequently uses the hashtag “#FTK,” which means “for the kids.”

Last year, XUDM raised $7,354 for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. It hopes to set a club record this year by adding more fundraising events, and making MuskieTHON bigger than ever.

The event is spurred by appearences from children fighting illness who are currently at Cincinnati Children’s. Children’s is on of the leading pediatric hospitals in North America both in treatment and in research for new treatments for common and rare childhood illnesses that plague their patients.

Other events that XUDM hosts throughout the year include Glow Fest, which is a run/walk, Music for Miracles, 10k in a Day and Recruitment Week.

To register for MuskieTHON, visit xavierdm.org.