For the seventh year in a row, the Dance Marathon made incredible strides towards helping the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital.  The committee managed to raise more than $9,000 for the hospital, with two-thirds of that being raised during the week of the event. It was an impressive effort, especially given that this year was focused on awareness instead of fundraising.

The Dance Marathon was led this year by junior Mary Fleming Finlay and seniors Katie Fitts and Lottie Folline. Mrs. Fowler commended the leaders for working well together.

“[It] has been critical to our success that [Mary Fleming, Katie, and Lottie] communicate with each other. They recognize each other’s strengths and they don’t compete with each other,” Mrs. Fowler said.

Katie added: “Especially as the event got closer, we were always talking to each other and coming up with things to do.”

On top of the leadership that the three of them brought to the table, the other members of the committee made a big impact.

“The junior leadership this year has been incredible. The juniors have been the ones painting signs after school and attending all the meetings. Just seeing that great foundation makes me realize that Dance Marathon is going to be really successful next year too,” Lottie said.

Beyond the Dance Marathon committee, many others helped make the event a success. For instance, Bake-a-Difference held two different bake sales this year for Dance Marathon, which raised around $370 for the kids. Similarly, Harry Potter Club sold breakfast during exam week, and all the money they raised went to Dance Marathon. Even those who were only able to donate a dollar helped the committee reach their total.

The impact that every student has on Dance Marathon is important. Whether it’s simply buying a cupcake at a bake sale, throwing spare change into a bucket in the student parking lot, or spending hours painting signs for the event itself, they all contribute to creating something incredible – the chance to help save a child’s life.

Mrs. Fowler pointed out that this year serves as a testament to how far Dance Marathon has come since it began at Hammond: “It was 2012, and our Dean of Students at the time, Ms. Kathy Dunn, had a neighbor who was the USC leader for Cardinal Newman, which was the first mini-marathon. She mentioned to Ms. Dunn that they were interested in trying to get other schools involved.”

Fowler continued, “She had me sit down with her, and I was just blown away. Not only by the purpose and the mission of Dance Marathon, but also with how well-run it was. It was just service learning at its best.”

That first year, in fact, there wasn’t even a Dance Marathon club. Instead, the leadership position fell to the Student Body Vice-President. After that initial trial, Mrs. Fowler came up with a better way to organize the event.

The reactions of the students that first year were mixed, she said. However, during the event, the perceptions of many attendees shifted.

“That first year, I’ll never forget, they brought several Miracle families to Dance Marathon. One of those families was Keldon Hemingway’s, who was not yet a student here at Hammond. After he spoke, we had one student burst into tears. At that moment, it struck everyone just what the impact was – it was kind of an ‘ah-ha’ moment,” Mrs. Fowler said.

Since then, Hammond’s Dance Marathon has burst onto the scene, raising impressive amounts of money every year and setting an example for other mini-marathons. In fact, according to Mrs. Fowler, representatives from USC often argue over who will get to come to Hammond’s event, and this year was no exception.

Last year, under the leadership of Valentina Hall and Mason Kapp, Dance Marathon managed to raise an incredible $41, 667 for the Children’s Hospital, and it was their hard work and dedication that led to Hammond pulling off that remarkable fundraising year.

“To me, personally, Dance Marathon means hope. It means hope that people will continue Dance Marathon in the future, hope for better research and eventually a cure, hope for a child’s entire lifetime,” Lottie said.