Collegiate philanthropies make a big impact: Why I dance at HuskyTHON
Take a trip down memory lane and think back to when you were five years old. You were just a carefree little boy or girl in kindergarten, spending your days learning about penguins and igloos and playing at recess with your friends. Now imagine that instead of playing on the playground with friends, you were sitting in a hospital bed getting your second round of chemo in the past month, surrounded by doctors and nurses, just trying to stay positive and happy. Just fighting to stay alive. This is the reality for so many young children across the country. That is why I dance.
Every year, students at the University of Connecticut come together as one community to raise money in support of Connecticut Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Each February, the year-long philanthropic effort culminates with an 18-hour dance marathon called HuskyTHON. HuskyTHON is a magical day and night filled with fun, laughter, and love, not just for us, but For The Kids.
The patients at Connecticut Children’s get to come with their parents to UConn and take part in HuskyTHON alongside us. They play games, get their faces painted, have dance parties with theme hours, and some of the bravest kids even come up on-stage and tell their stories. For just one day, the kids can be kids again. They aren’t worried about their sickness, getting their medicine, or sitting in a hospital bed. They are preoccupied with copious amounts of fun, excitement, and energy.
The parents tell us how much this not only means to their children, but to them as well. To see their six-year-old son light up with smiles and laughs as he plays basketball with some college boys who make him feel not only like the coolest basketball player ever, but more importantly, a normal kid, is everything to a parent. It is truly the most touching part about these magical 18 hours and something that I look forward to every year.
The children’s fun is not the only thing HuskyTHON accomplishes. Those 18 hours are preceded by months of fundraising efforts that allow this miracle to take place. Endless hours of canning, selling food and homemade goodies, reaching out to family, friends, and anyone else you can think of is what makes this possible. Earlier this year, my team Delta Zeta and its 130 members were able to surpass our fundraising goal of $50,000. I was able to reach my own goal of raising $1,000 and became part of the Comma Club 2020!
Each year since HuskyTHON’s creation in 2000 where students raised just $13,878, the goal has continually been raised higher and higher. In 2018, we hit the million-dollar mark, the most momentous occasion to grace UConn’s student philanthropic causes in history. This year, on the 20th anniversary of its inception, HuskyTHON 2020 raised a record-breaking $1,520,234.98! This money directly helps provide life-saving care for hundreds of children, who would not be able to have that care without HuskyTHON’s help.
The thousands of college students who participate, but more importantly the generosity of each and every person out there who is willing to donate money to this amazing cause, are what makes this dream a reality. I encourage each and every student to find a passion not for yourselves, but for others and work harder than ever to make it possible for them. I am so honored to have been a part of something so much bigger than myself and I cannot wait to brighten more tomorrows at my final HuskyTHON next year, which will undoubtedly be the best one yet!
About the author
Gabriella Soper
Gabriella Soper is a student at the University of Connecticut pursuing a dual degree in Finance and Communication. She serves on the Executive Council in her sorority Delta Zeta as well as on the Panhellenic Judicial Board and is a member of UConn’s Law Society. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family in her hometown of Sunrise, Florida. Gabriella is a Pearson Campus Ambassador at UConn.
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