UK Staff and Faculty to Host Second DanceBlue Mini-Marathon

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec 2, 2016) — Each year DanceBlue is made possible with the help of mini-marathons that lead up to the 24-hour dance marathon in the spring. In preparation for DanceBlue 2017, three University of Kentucky entities, the Hilary J. Boone Center, the Staff Senate and Faculty Advancement, will host the second annual DanceBlue UK Staff/Faculty Mini-Marathon. The event will be held at the Boone Center on Feb. 17, 2017. Last February, the first mini-marathon raised over $10,000 in just two weeks. 

Mini-marathons have been highly successful as high schools and middle schools across Kentucky have come together “For the Kids” in an effort to support the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, and University of Kentucky staff and faculty have the chance to continue to support this tradition as one of 23, and counting, mini-marathons to occur this year.

The UK Staff/Faculty Mini-Marathon will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Hilary J. Boone Center, and will feature a presentation by the DanceBlue leadership team, as well as the following:

• teaching of the line dance;
• patient stories and video;
• trivia games;
• final reveal of the total amount of money raised by the UK family;
• “Best Spirit” Prize (details on how to enter below); and
• buffet lunch.

There are three ways to be involved in the Staff/Faculty Mini-Marathon: 

1) Be a dancer at the Staff/Faculty Mini-Marathon at the Boone Center. 

2) Raise funds for your team through your college or unit. 

3) Buy a Staff/ Faculty Mini-Marathon T-shirt through the Staff Senate.

For those interested in participating in the Staff/Faculty Mini-Marathon in any format, please register through the Staff Senate website: www.uky.edu/StaffSenate. All registration for dancers, teams and fundraising will be coordinated through the Staff Senate office. Dancers will pay for lunch at the Boone Center the day of the mini-marathon at the door. The cost is $12, and the Boone Center will donate a sizeable portion of the proceeds to DanceBlue. 

T-shirts will be sold through the Staff Senate office. The cost is $15, and money will be due to the Staff Senate office before Feb. 1, 2017. All proceeds will go directly to DanceBlue.

It is recommended that colleges or units with staff councils coordinate fundraising in their respective areas. Proven ideas for fundraising are:

• Bake sale/lemonade stand/hot chocolate stand: Do not set a price; rather accept donations from co-workers for the kids.
• Department contest: Give each area within your college or unit a deadline to see who can raise the most money through collections, bake sales, etc., and provide incentives.
• Lunches/suppers/chili cook-offs with all food donated by individuals. Set a price and donate the funds.

The “Best Spirit” Prize will be awarded to the college or unit’s team that raises the most money and will be announced at the conclusion of the mini-marathon. The winning team will be invited to attend a special event hosted by President Eli Capilouto later in the year.

In addition, DanceBlue benefits are granted to each team based on donation amount. Click here for a list of donation level benefits.

For questions about the Staff/Faculty Mini-Marathon, please contact co-chairs Holly Clark at holly.clark@uky.edu or Brittany Begley at brittanybegley@uky.edu.

DanceBlue is UK’s 24-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that benefits the Golden Matrix Fund and the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. Now in its 12th year, DanceBlue has raised more than $9.8 million for pediatric cancer research and child-life efforts.

For more information about DanceBlue, please visit www.danceblue.org. Connect with DanceBlue on Facebook at www.facebook.com/danceblue and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/UKDanceBlue.

DanceBlue is a program housed in the UK Center for Community Outreach (CCO). The CCO seeks to serve, connect and unite the University of Kentucky with the surrounding community in collaborative efforts to promote lifelong community service. For more information about the CCO, visit www.ukcco.org.