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Dance Marathon Programs Recognized with Awards at Dance Marathon Leadership Conference

Each year at the Dance Marathon Leadership Conference, Miracle Network Dance Marathon recognizes and celebrates the achievements of collegiate Dance Marathon organizations that demonstrate excellence in programming and initiatives as they champion the cause of local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and provide valuable experiences for members of the campus and local communities.

Check out the award winners below and click the links to learn more about each award winner’s outstanding efforts from the past year.

MIRACLE MAKER AWARDS:

The Miracle Maker Awards recognize the Dance Marathon programs that had the highest combined monetary and percentage increases in their overall fundraising over the previous year.  These programs demonstrate that it is possible to continue to build a lasting tradition on campus and grow their fundraising year-after-year for their local CMN Hospital. Programs are categorized for the awards based on their founding year as a Miracle Network Dance Marathon program.

Miracle Maker Award: Years 15+

Congratulations to the Miracle Maker Award winner for programs in years 15+, increasing their fundraising by 30%, with the largest monetary growth in the network of over $306,000, resulting in a fundraising total of over $1.3 million, HuskyTHON at the University of Connecticut.

Miracle Maker Award: Years 10-14

After increasing their fundraising by 33% for a total of over $280,000, the Miracle Maker Award for programs in years 10-14 goes to UMASS Dance Marathon at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Miracle Maker Award: Years 7-9

Congratulations to the Miracle Maker Award winner for programs in years 7-9, increasing their fundraising by 24% for a total of over $680,000, University of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon.

Miracle Maker Award: Years 4-6

The Miracle Maker Award winner for programs in years 4-6 goes to a program that increased their fundraising by 47% for a total of over $338,000—Pitt Dance Marathon at the University of Pittsburgh!

Miracle Maker Award: Years 2-3

Congratulations to the Miracle Maker Award winner for programs in years 2-3, increasing their fundraising by 98% for a total of over $292,000 in just their second year, RhodyThon at the University of Rhode Island!

Miracle Maker Award: Year 1

The Miracle Maker Award winner for first year programs raised over $41,000 in their inaugural year. Congratulations to HoyaThon at Georgetown University.

MOST IMPROVED DANCE MARATHON:

The Most Improved Dance Marathon award will recognize an organization that has taken significant steps to increase funds raised and overall dancer participation and/or improve the execution of event or year-round programming. The 2019 Most Improved Dance Marathon award went to Trojan DM at the University of Southern California! Read more about their efforts here.

BEST NEW DANCE MARATHON:

The Best New Dance Marathon Award recognizes a Miracle Network Dance Marathon organization that hosted its first or second Dance Marathon event in the 2018-2019 academic year and is chosen based on a combination of fundraising success, year-round programming, and Dance Marathon event execution. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Best New Dance Marathon award, HoyaThon at Georgetown University! Learn more about their efforts here.

BEST HIGH SCHOOL DANCE MARATHON:

The Best High School Dance Marathon award goes to a high school dance marathon program that has demonstrated fundraising success, year-round programming and Dance Marathon event execution. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Best High School Dance Marathon Award, Palm Beach Central High School, a mini-marathon program under Dance Marathon at the University of Florida. Learn more about their efforts here.

RYAN WHITE AWARD FOR OVERCOMING ADVERSITY:

Ryan White is a hero for his lasting legacy of overcoming adversity and using it to make a positive impact on the world. The Ryan White Award for Overcoming Adversity is presented to a program whose experience in overcoming a significant obstacle best exemplifies Ryan’s spirit and perseverance in the face of adversity. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Ryan White Award for Overcoming Adversity, Cal Poly Dance Marathon at California Polytechnic State University! Learn more about their efforts here.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT AWARD:

The Alumni Engagement Award recognizes a dance marathon organization and/or a dance marathon alumni organization that has made a successful effort to engage Dance Marathon alumni. Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Alumni Engagement Award, University of Iowa Dance Marathon! Learn more about their efforts here.

CAMPAIGN ACTIVATION AWARD:

The Campaign Activation Award recognizes an outstanding campaign implemented by a dance marathon program that utilizes targeted efforts and provides unique content to increase awareness, participation, and engagement for a dance marathon program. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Campaign Activation Award, Dance Marathon at San Diego State University! Learn more about their efforts here.

CAMPUS ADVISOR OF THE YEAR AWARD:

The Campus Advisor Award recognizes a dance marathon campus advisor that goes above and beyond to help a Dance Marathon program succeeded in their efforts for the kids. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Campus Advisor of the Year Award, Pete Hunter from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Learn more about Pete’s accomplishments as a Campus Advisor here.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD:

The Community Engagement Award recognizes the Dance Marathon organization that executed a successful initiative, event, or campaign to reach a new demographic in the campus or local community over the past year. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Community Engagement Award, BuckeyeThon at The Ohio State University! Learn more about their efforts here.

DIGITAL MEDIA AWARD:

The Digital Media Award recognizes a dance marathon organization that best utilizes digital media to bring the mission of their organization to life, whether it be to highlight a campaign, educate and engage their audiences, or tell a story.Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Digital Media Award, Dance Marathon at Florida State University! Learn more about their efforts here.

DONOR STEWARDSHIP AWARD:

The Donor Stewardship Award is presented to the Dance Marathon organization that has demonstrated outstanding donor recognition, re-engagement, and communication practices, or who has made the largest strides in this area, over the past year. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Donor Stewardship Award, BuckeyeThon at The Ohio State University! Learn more about their efforts here.

MARATHON PROGRAMMING AWARD:

The Marathon Programming Award recognizes an organization that implemented exceptional and engaging programming during their Dance Marathon event that positively contributed to the experience of everyone participating. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Marathon Programming Award, IlliniThon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign! Learn more about their efforts here.

MERCHANDISE AWARD:

The Merchandise Award recognizes a program that most successfully utilizes innovative merchandise for spreading awareness, recognition tools for their hospital or sponsors, fundraising, and/or incentivizing participants. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Merchandise Award, Ball State University Dance Marathon! Learn more about their efforts here.

ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT AWARD:

The Organization Management Award recognizes a program that demonstrates success in areas such as board and committee structure, retreats, strategic planning, internal communication, and data tracking. Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Organization Management Award, VolTHON at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville! Learn more about their efforts here.

PARTICIPANT COMMUNICATION AWARD:

The Participant Communication Award recognizes programs that have been successful in communicating with their registered participants through a variety of channels throughout the entire year, educating their participation about their organization and the cause. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Participant Communication Award, TerpThon at the University of Maryland! Learn more about their efforts here.

PARTICIPANT STEWARDSHIP AWARD:

The Participant Stewardship Award is presented to a program that has demonstrated outstanding participant recognition and retention efforts, or who has made the largest strides in this area over the past year. Congratulations to the winner of the 2019 Participant Stewardship Award, HuskyTHON at the University of Connecticut! Learn more about their efforts here.

PARTNERSHIP AWARD:

The Partnership Award recognizes the Miracle Network Dance Marathon organization and their respective partner that demonstrated the most collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership in the past year. Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Partnership Award, IlliniThon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Alumni Association! Learn more about their efforts here.

BEST MORALE DANCE:

One common element of every Miracle Network Dance Marathon organization is the creation of a “Morale Dance” or “Line Dance” that student leaders teach to the participants at their Dance Marathon and is performed each hour throughout their event. Prior to DMLC, programs had the opportunity to apply to perform a two-minute segment of their Morale Dance at the conference. Eighteen programs were selected to perform at the DMLC Morale Dance Showcase during the conference and a winning program was selected through an audience vote of all conference attendees. Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Best Morale Dance Award, Soonerthon at the University of Oklahoma! 


Miracle Network Dance Marathon is an international movement, involving over 400 colleges, universities and K-12 schools across North America that fundraise for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Since its inception in 1991, Miracle Network Dance Marathon has raised more than $250 million–ensuring that no child or family fights pediatric illness or injury alone.

Learn more about Miracle Network Dance Marathon:

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