tl20040223_001 "The Towerlinhb Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com JI ^r Monday, 2/23/04 Professors engage students in series Forum addresses civic responsibility Toulouse-Lautrec arrives at BMA 'Eurotrip1 full of girls, stereotypes Departments Opinion... News Nation Campus briefs.... Sports In this corner. Face-Off. Athlete of the Week... Classifieds Marathon fund-raiser refocuses Committee plans to rebuild marathon next year after attendance drops in annual event Tracy J. Silwick The Towerlight After cutting hours in half to attract more participants, Saturday's """"Miracles in Motion"""" dance marathon drew a small but enthusiastic crowd to the charity fund-raiser. At its peak, the crowd in the University Union's Potomac Lounge numbered about 50 dancers and 25 volunteers, a significant decrease from the 300 participants last year. The marathon, which usually runs 24 hours, was shortened to 12 this year to get more people involved, explained Liz Dunlap, a graduate assistant for community service who served as advisor for the event. The plan is to start small this year and build the dance marathon back up to 24 hours next year, she said. """"We made a lot of changes: the time, the duration and the leadership, but we learned a lot and look forward to next year,"""" Dunlap said. This is the third year Towson has put on a dance marathon. The first event in 2002 featured 250 dancers in the Towson Center and drew some 3,000 visitors. A new committee came together to plan the event this year after student outreach coordinator Mindi Pollak, who was advisor for the dance marathon, left Towson in September. """"We really had to start from scratch this year. And I think it came together really well,"""" committee member Erin Kline, a senior deaf studies major, said. """"We've been planning since September to get this together. It was hard and stressful at times, but we got the job done,"""" Kline said. Look for changes to occur next year with the dance marathon, Dunlap said. """"Publicity will be a big thing that we focus on to get people aware of what's going on. We'll also try to fit in some precursor events that we wanted to do this year, but just didn't have the manpower to pull them together,"""" she said. Saul Stoogenke/The Towerhght Lauren Murphy, 14, dances Saturday at the """"Miracles in Motion"""" dance marathon, which benefits the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Murphy has undergone chemotherapy since doctors diagnosed a brain tumor in April. Junior biology and secondary education major Daniel Ewald said the key element for an event like this is student involvement. """"The students at Towson really need to wake up and see that you get out of something what you put into it,"""" he said. The dance marathon is about the kids at Hopkins, Ewald explained, and trying to make their lives better. """"The money goes to the kids to pay doctor bills, give families a place to stay during treatment and enrich their lives while they're in the hospital,"""" he said. The dance marathon raised about $4,000 to benefit the Johns Hopkins """"We really had to start from scratch this year. And I think it came together really well... We've been planning since September to get this together. It was hard and stressful at times, but we got the job done."""" Erin Kline senior, deaf studies Children's Center as well as the Miracle Network. From noon to midnight, participants danced to DJs during theme hours including """"line dance hour"""" and """"hip hop Local bands Woodswork, Hardheadz, and Fools and Horses also provided entertainment. The marathon received support from the campus and the Towf nity, including Goldberg's Bagels, Burger King, Mix 106.5, the Kerch family and others. Donations are still being accepted at the Office of Student Activities. Donna Wecker knows the joy that the dance marathon can bring to the children at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Her son, Cameron, has a genetic autoimmune disease that prompted a bone marrow transplant in 2000. """"He's recovering wonderfully. Hopkins brings a lot of 'extras' to the kids they treat. The 'extras' are paid for by people's donations at events like this,"""" Wecker said. One of the 'extras' is a Clown Care Unit where professional clowns with training in play therapy come in and entertain the kids. """"They come in and distract the kids from the fact that they are sick,"""" Wecker said. """"Another extra is Child Life. This is a program that coordinates volunteers and brings in doctors and nurses to accompany the children to their procedures."""" Dunlap said it has been all about the kids from the beginning. """"We know that events like this See DANCE, page 12"
