February 24 2018, students at the University of Mississippi danced for twelve hours straight and $265,912.30 raised for Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children. There were also sixteen miracle kids that were present and were celebrated all night long. You may ask what is the name of this event?
RebelTHON. What is RebelTHON? It is a dance marathon that is nationwide, involving college and high school students at more than 150 schools across the country, all raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in their community. "We dance for those who can't" is the universal slogan for these dance marathons. I asked seven Ole Miss students that participated to reflect on their time at RebelTHON either during the event or throughout the whole leading up to the event.
"When I first got the job for RebelTHON, I knew that it was going to be a long year and I would gain incredible experience and friendships.
Man was I in for a surprise. It was everything that I thought and then MORE. I have learned so much as a leader, a friend, and a human. At the event, I couldn’t help but just become overwhelmed with emotions and pride. All of the work and all of the stress came down to this one moment.
This year could NOT have been possible if it wasn’t from the incredible dancers who fundraised and stayed all 12 hours. It made it an unbelievable experience. It feels like a dream. Literally.
Standing on that stage holding up the number, and looking out into the crowd as my directors, chairs, committee members, and friends stood there crying and screaming, I could only be thankful for the experience that I had. And then to see the miracle kids and their families, to see who the money was going towards - to see the lives we were directly helping.
I have never felt more pride and joy in my life. It was a #DREAM come true. I hate crying in public, but there I was balling my eyes out in front of 400 students as we did the Circle of Hope. RebelTHON is one of the best organizations on this campus."
Brock Huerkamp, VP of Communications for RebelTHON
"I obviously knew RebelTHON was going to be fun the minute I signed up but I really did not realize how incredible the experience would be. Being a college student, we are stressed a lot of the time, but being able to set aside twelve hours to forget about everything college requires out of us and have the actual time of my life to dance for the kids was more rewarding than anything else I could have done during those twelve hours."
"When asked to describe RebelTHON in words, it truly is not possible for me. RebelTHON is more than a fundraiser. It's more than a dance marathon. RebelTHON is a movement. It's a movement that transforms hearts. College students are stereotyped as entitled and naive.
Nevertheless, it is COLLEGE STUDENTS that dedicate their entire being to celebrating the lives of children who deserve to be celebrated. No children decided to spend months of their lives in a hospital while their friends are on a playground. None of these children's parents decided to watch their children literally fight for their lives. BUT they did.
They fought.
They persevered.
They DREAMED.
They dreamed of the day when they would be back to life as they once knew it before their entire lives were stripped from them. Us college students, we have a dream too. We have a dream where no parents have to worry about how they're going to save their child's life.
We have a dream where no children feel less than because their bodies are too weak to move. So us college students, WE DANCE. We dance for the kids who can't (YET.) We dance for all children affected by any type of childhood illness, so they know that they are cherished, loved & celebrated. RebelTHON has allowed me to set my life aside in order to give these kiddos the life they deserve. Being a small part of changing these children’s lives has been the biggest honor of my life, and I’m forever changed."
Landon Chapman, Morale Captain
"I️ signed up for RebelTHON thinking I️ would just go for like two hours and then leave because I️ didn't know what to expect, but I️ cannot express the joy of getting to feel like I️ was actually helping the children in a way that actually mattered.
The money that we raised was to help not only the kids there but also future children who will need Batson to make a difference in their lives too. Their faces when we would chant their name during the dance marathon is something I️ will never forget and will always cherish.
These kids have been through more than any of us could ever imagine and yet they are still so brave, strong, and kind to everyone they meet. RebelTHON 2018 has opened my eyes in more ways than I️ could ever think possible.
There are no words that could ever describe how RebelTHON positively affected me because by the end of the night I️ was just completely speechless and overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy because of the opportunity to participate in something like that was incredible. "
Jordan Barksdale, Dance Marathon Participant
"My experience at RebelTHON is always unforgettable. The day of the event always reminds me of why I signed up and raised the $100 dancer minimum! I work to recruit Greek members throughout the year, and it is so amazing to spread the word about RebelTHON and the great work it does for Blair E. Batson and for the kids.
The dancing is always fun, but what is most important to me about the event is hearing personal stories from people who have personally been positively affected by Batson. Knowing that I’m raising money for these children and helping them through their rough experiences is all I could ever need!"
"I started RebelTHON my freshman year, so this has been the second year I have participated in it. I am so thankful that I was exposed to this event early on because it is easily my favorite college event.
As a morale captain, my job is to keep the dancers hype and make sure that we don’t lose sight of the big picture. To help us not forget why we do what we do, we each have our own “why” to explain why we are FTK. Mine is simple enough: I plan to be a mother, and I only want the very best for my kids. I want the best care for them so that they can have the care quality of life despite whatever circumstances are present.
We don’t plan for our children to be born with hypo-plastic left heart syndrome or for them to get hit by a car while driving their go-cart. Thing like this happen though, and if that occurs, I want to know that there is a generation that cares enough to give their time and effort to help support the facilities that could save my child’s life one day.
Taran Carrasco, Morale Captain
