Josh Devine

Ladue Dance Marathon Executive Board revealed its final fundraising total Feb. 3. One by one, they flipped up their numbers to unveil the number that everyone in the room worked so hard for. “After the reveal and everything settled down, I was so happy we were able to make such a big impact for the Children’s Miracle Network,” Goodman said.

Ladue Dance Marathon held its final event of the year on Feb. 3, 2024, to celebrate their fundraising and the children they impact.

I was so happy and I was really proud of how the event turned out,” co-director Kate Goodman (12) said. “All my board members, and all the people that helped to support them this year did an amazing job. It was super surreal to see all of our hard work from the whole year coming together in a culminating moment.”

From the start of the school year, to the day of the event, the Dance Marathon Team worked hard to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. They utilized fundraisers and games for the event to maximize their impact and final total. 

“At the event, we had a lot of fun fundraisers,” fundraising co-chair Georgia Bland (11) said. “We did pie your friend in the face, karaoke, fundraising jail, auctions and a bunch of other fun things to help raise money.”

It takes a village to put on an event the size of Dance Marathon. In order for things to run smoothly, constant support and participation is necessary throughout the day.

“The board members in the morale team were their super early setting up,” Goodman said. “We ate a quick breakfast together and made sure everything was ready. And then once we got going, it was pretty straightforward, from there. It was super fun to just lay back and watch all our hard work pay off.”

Ladue Dance Marathon donates its money to the children’s miracle network, and that money directly goes to St. Louis children’s hospitals. These children who Ladue DM impact, came to the event to share their stories and personal testimonies. 

“Our Children’s Miracle Network ambassador and the Miracle Family Relations chair worked really hard setting things up for the kids,” Bland said. “We invited them to come and share their story and explain how CMN has made an impact on their and their families lives.”

After six hours of dancing, fundraising and no sitting in honor of a 6 hour nurses shift, the time for the final reveal came. The lights turned on and the crowd grew silent in anticipation.

“Before the reveal, things were chaotic, but I was excited to find out what the number was,” Goodman said. “We flipped up our posters to reveal that we had raised $64,517.11 for the kids. It was so amazing to see, and I was so proud of everyone involved for their hard work.”