This week begins the official kick off of Carolina For the Kids' Dancer Recruitment Week. You have until Friday at 8 p.m. to sign up to be a dancer at the 2017 Dance Marathon. Yes, this is far out. Yes, it is 24 hours of standing. Yes, it is going to be painful in so many ways. I won't lie to you and tell you that you will never once regret signing up. You may regret it at some point during the 24 hours that you dance and stand for the kids, but after it is over after you have completed an incredible journey, after you have stood with strangers and friends for an entire 24 hours, you will be thankful. Here's why you should sign up to be a dancer at the 2017 UNC Dance Marathon.

1. You support a cause that is incredibly important to so many people.

2. You get to have a giant party with all of your closest friends for 24 hours.

3. You get to meet a ton of new people, too.

4. You get some really great food.

5. The kids you are supporting will quite literally see you standing for 24 hours to support them.

6. You will see the looks on the families' faces when everyone learns how much money was raised.

7. You get to be a part of something bigger.

8. You get to see why the UNC Children's Hospital is so special.

9. The pictures you take will hold memories for a lifetime.

10. You get to encourage all of the people around you to keep going.

11. The motivation in the room and space around you is a surreal experience.

12. You get to meet kids who need and want your help.

13. You get to play with puppies.

14. You get ice cream.

15. You will accomplish not only raising money for the kids of UNC Children's Hospital, but you will also accomplish obtaining a better understanding of what these children go through on a daily basis.

16. You will dance the night (and morning) away.

17. You get to participate in a year-long planning process.

18. You get really great shirts.

19. The stories and experiences you will have are once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

20. The time you spend standing for 24 hours, pledging to the children, will be the best and worst 24 hours of your life.

You will be tired. You will be running on adrenaline and coffee. But you will have just completed something with a large portion of the UNC campus. It is not every day that this many students and faculty and staff and supporters come together for something so incredible, but this day, this 24 hours, is a time that this happens.