Students were on their feet for a total of 12 hours Saturday to benefit Blair E. Batson Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in Jackson.
The event was an on-your-feet, no-resting event. Participants stood to support children, like the ones at Batson, who don’t have the ability to stand for themselves.
This dance marathon portion of RebelTHON is the final event celebrating the money raised throughout the year. This year, RebelTHON will be donating $40,010.87 to Batson Hospital, the only children’s hospital in Mississippi.
“RebelTHON made me realize how the Ole Miss community could come together on a Saturday night doing something bigger than themselves in order to benefit others,” said Rebecca Skidmore, sophomore marketing and corporate relations major.
Each hour throughout the night had a theme related to favorite times of the year, from Halloween to Independence Day to football season. There were music, games and special guests throughout the night.
Special guests included the spirit squad, live bands and Athletics Director Ross Bjork. The real stars of the night, however, were the past and present Batson patients that shared their stories.
At the start of each hour, everyone at RebelTHON did a choreographed dance called the morale dance then a patient and their family would share their story as the audience took one knee out of respect.
“There were times when my friends and I wanted to leave, but we all pushed through and stayed all 12 hours,” said Prianna Patel, freshman nursing major. “Being able to see some kids there telling their stories every hour definitely encouraged us to stay as well.”
A total of five Batson kids and their families were in attendance at the event. The families that were unable to attend had filmed videos played during their speaking time.
Two Ole Miss students and members of the RebelTHON team, junior Katie Grantham and freshman Alison Turbeville, shared their stories about their time as Batson patient.
The event included one final fundraising effort in the third hour. The executive board called upon the participants to call, tweet and contact possible donors for one last hour of fundraising for the kids.
In those two hours, around $1,900 was raised. That money is specifically going toward purchasing more than 190 teddy bears for patients at the hospital.
Senior and director of family relations Madi Cristina has been a part of RebelTHON since its first year in 2012. This year, as director of family relations, Cristina served as the main correspondent between the Batson families and RebelTHON.
“I am wholeheartedly obsessed with Children’s Miracle Network and the miracles they are able to do each and every day,” Cristina said. “I have had many opportunities throughout my collegiate experiences with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and will continue to serve them for the rest of my life.”
Committee sign-ups to join the RebelTHON team for next will be available Wednesday. The team tries to have fundraising events at least once a month during the school year because they are trying to make RebelTHON not only a dance marathon but also a year-long fundraising effort.
