Campus News

DanceBlue mini marathons for UK employees set for Feb. 16

DanceBlue 2019 staff marathon
Photo from the faculty and staff DanceBlue event in 2019.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 9, 2023) — University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare employees will have a unique opportunity to support DanceBlue ahead of the 24-hour marathon in March.

All UK employees are invited to join in mini marathons at The Cornerstone Exchange and the C.T. Wethington building on Thursday, Feb. 16. The events are free to attend and will be filled with music, snacks and the opportunity to contribute to this year’s DanceBlue efforts. Employees can join in person or by Zoom.

The UK employee mini marathon location options are as follows:

  • 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Cornerstone Exchange Innovation Lab;
  • 2-4 p.m., The Commons at C.T. Wethington (CTW127); and
  • Zoom feeds from both locations.

Registration is encouraged for in-person attendance and required for the Zoom sessions. You can register to attend and/or make an early donation to DanceBlue online here.

The University of Kentucky Staff Senate is excited to sponsor these events as fun and easy ways for UK employees to show their support ahead of the traditional DanceBlue marathon that will be held March 25-26 at Memorial Coliseum.

“We’re pleased to revive the in-person mini-marathons for UK employees this year, with the addition of unique Zoom feeds,” said Staff Senator and Community Outreach Committee Chair Dean Holt. “By having two fully staffed locations at two different times as well as the Zoom options, we want to accommodate more employees’ work schedules than ever before with this year’s efforts.”

DanceBlue, a University of Kentucky student-run organization, raises funds year-round, leading up to the 24-hour, no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon at Memorial Coliseum. The two-hour employee mini marathons are part of that effort. During the events, the DanceBluetique will be open for business to stock up on T-shirts, hats and other merchandise ahead of the marathon.

All the money that is raised through DanceBlue is donated to the Golden Matrix Fund, established to support the kids of the DanceBlue Kentucky Children's Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic both today and well into the future through an endowment. DanceBlue also helps to provide funds to support research at the UK Markey Cancer Center.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.