ChargerTHON hosted a weeklong series of fundraising events to support two Miracle kids the week of April 13 that ended in 12 hour dance marathon in the German Club on the night of April 17.
“It was a long journey to get here, but I can’t believe how amazing it turned out. And to get the opportunity to meet two beautiful and inspirational miracle children made all of the hard work truly pay off,” said Amy Reidy, the co-founder of ChargerTHON. “This was one great ride and I cannot wait to see where this goes in the future. I am so proud of every person that made this possible.”
The first event held during the week was an ice cream cookie sandwich fundraiser which raised more than $200. The club even had fee waivers for registration on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, April 15, the club decorated shirts and taught participants the morale dance, which was held every two hours during the event. The morale dance was a great mix of songs and moves, uniquely created by the ChargerTHON team. The categories of the music included boy bands, 90’s music and Disney. The marathoners were visited by Miss New Haven County early in the morning and competed in a dance off.
“After seeing all of the THONS occur last year at other universities, Brandon and I simultaneously and separately decided that we wanted to see this event occur here at UNH. From that point on, we have been working towards our $12,000 goal for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Connecticut’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital,” said Reidy. “Whether it be late night fundraisers, posting on social media for donations, or encouraging others to register and do the same, we do it with a smile on our faces because it is all for the kids that need our help. This has been one of the largest growing and humbling experiences of my college career and I cannot think of a better way to end my senior year than staying up all night For The Kids! (Check out our hashtag #UNHFTK2015!)”
After a long night of dancing, the two young kids who we fundraised for, Ally and Colin, walked in wearing their custom tees made by the ChargerTHON. After the students greeted them the kids enjoyed a kiddie pool full of balloons and danced along with the students to Disney music. Then the ChargerTHON leaders, Amy Reidy and Brandon Reyes, revealed the final fundraised amount, $6,288!
(Photo by Gabriella Pericone)
At the end of the event, the family spoke, thanking everyone for their support. Ally has a disease that requires her to be hospitalized about five to six times a year. Her younger brother, Colin, has autism as well as epilepsy. The dance marathon ended on a very positive note and some awards were given out to participants for best dancer, best spirit, and top fundraisers.
“Planning ChargerTHON from the day it was just becoming an RSO to the actual Dance Marathon Finale event has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I have had at UNH this far,” Brandon Reyes, cofounder of ChargerTHON, said.
