The EagleThon dance marathon raised $17,173.01 on Feb. 16 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Twelve Southern Miss organizations and 179 participants came together for the second year in a row to raise money for EagleThon, a dance marathon fundraiser in which all proceeds go towards Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
EagleThon is part of the national movement Miracle Network Dance Marathon, which raises funds for children requiring medical treatments.
The funds raised by EagleThon go directly to Blair E. Batson in Jackson, Mississippi.
Southern Miss held EagleThon last February for the first time, raising $10,017.00.
“Eaglethon is a way for Southern Miss students to support Blair E. Batson in Jackson, Mississippi,” junior broadcast journalism major Brooke Bullock said. “The event itself lasted for six hours which is the standard amount of time for a child will receive treatment. It shows unity for Southern Miss students, and it serves as a reminder that we are supposed to serve others before we serve ourselves. EagleThon makes me proud to be a Golden Eagle.”
“It’s really cool to come together with Southern Miss students from other Greek organizations and also non-Greek students who are all supporting the same thing,” junior communications major Claire Browning said. “And there are a lot of kids who come to EagleThon who have gone to Batson and reaped the benefits of the fundraiser. Also, the atmosphere is really fun. There are games and fundraising push competitions that makes everything more interesting but you know it’s all for a good cause.”
According to dancemarathon.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org, the Miracle Network Dance Marathon has raised around $200 million to fund treatment for children fighting life threatening illnesses.
The top teams participating in EagleThon were Delta Gamma aising $2,624.00, Alpha Kappa Alpha raising $1,635.00, Phi Mu Official $1082.75, Chi Omega raising $583.00, Sigma Nu raising $545.00, Alpha Chi Omega raising $347.00, Tri Delta raising $204.00, Dixie Darlings raising $170.00, Miss Mississippi Title Holders raising $120.00, and Phi Mu raising $47.00.
The top fundraisers include Kayla Hubbard raising $1635.00, Michaelah Wheat raising $1,050.00, Tyler Murry raising $550.00, and Kayley Safley raising $510.00.
