On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the University of Connecticut community will partake in the HuskyTHON Day of Strength in an effort to raise $375,000 to benefit Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. This year’s theme, “Change the Tide,” represents the goal of improving the trajectory of children’s health.
The annual event, which encourages students to raise at least $144 each, is the organization’s largest fundraising “push day” of the year according to its vice president of communications Izzy Casais. The figure is in honor of the 144,593 unique patients seen by CCMC last year — and is the heftiest fundraising goal the organization has set out to beat yet.
“Our strength comes from the ‘miracle children’, who continuously inspire us with their incredible resilience as they fight their own battles at Connecticut Children’s,” HuskyTHON spokespeople say. “On the Day of Strength, we aim to show these children just how much hope they give us.”
The Day of Strength will include a variety of activities to help promote fundraising, including limited-edition merchandise sales and the ability to earn incentives based on their fundraising. The check-in hub will be based in Student Union room 104, with advice, photo opportunities and a display of the incentives students can aim to win.
“If showing your strength this DOS wasn’t reason enough, maybe these incentives will give you that extra boost,” the group said in an Instagram promotion aimed at students.
For every $144 that participants raise, they’ll be entered to win free food from Mooyah Burgers and Fries for a year, the announcement says. Fundraising in the order of $300 or more makes one eligible to win a vacation at the St. James Club on the Caribbean island of Antigua, and the day’s top fundraisers will win a number of other prizes including items signed by sports stars and floor tickets to the UConnic Music Festival hosted by SUBOG.
One new aspect to the Day of Strength this year is a new “After Dark” event to be held in the Student Union Ballroom, kicking off at 7 p.m. until midnight. Updates on fundraising efforts will be provided in addition to other opportunities to win prizes, plus refreshments provided in-kind by Haven Hot Chicken, Gansett Wraps and from the New England Coca-Cola bottlers. The group also announced that they will show the TV broadcast of the night’s men’s basketball broadcast alongside a Dan Hurley look-alike competition, with the audience-selected winner receiving a $50 fundraising match.
At midnight, the total raised for the day will be revealed in a musical send-off on the ballroom stage.
It all leads up to the HuskyTHON “Night-Of”, the 18-hour dance marathon held in the Greer Field House — this year on Saturday March 8. Student participants create teams, many affiliated with student clubs and organizations, and spend time with CCMC patients and families for the day.
According to Casais, HuskyTHON is the largest member in the Miracle Network dance marathon organization, which sponsors similar fundraising events for children’s hospitals nationwide. The effort is entirely student-run and claims the title of the largest student organization at UConn.
“HuskyTHON is the light that guides us home, it is an unstoppable force aimed at the sole mission to ensure that no child goes without the care they deserve. We will continue our dance marathon until there is a day when no child, or family, has to endure the hardships that come with childhood illness,” says a message from HuskyTHON executive director Jylian Esposito.
Last year, over 4,000 participants in the Day of Strength surpassed the fundraising goal of $315,000, contributing to the HuskyTHON grand total of over $1.7 million.
Student registration and more information can be found on the HuskyTHON webpage at huskython.org, or you can text “HUSKYTHON” to 51-555.