HuskyTHON is a staple of UConn’s mainstream culture, best known for the organization’s 18-hour dance marathon. Between Sept. 15 and Sept. 19, many UConn students have already begun to register for HuskyTHON as a part of “Reg Week.”
Though this may seem baffling to most, the dance marathon is for a noble cause: “All the money we raise goes toward Connecticut Children’s Greatest Needs Fund,” Macey Spangenberg, a seventh-semester physiology and neurobiology major and member of HuskyTHON, said.
The concept of a non-profit organization that hosts a dance marathon fundraising for local hospitals for children was not invented at UConn, however. “We’re part of a larger group called Miracle Network Dance Marathon,” Sydney Brown said. Brown is a fifth-semester secondary history and social studies education major.
This is just the beginning of a larger fundraising campaign for this lifesaving institution for children with urgent medical and psychological needs.
“HuskyTHON is the largest student-run organization on campus,” Brown said. “In 1999, it started as a greek life thing. It was called ‘Midnight Marathon.’ Greek life [still] participates, so many people are involved in it. It’s grown a lot.”
Last year, Brown reported that HuskyTHON was able to donate a whopping $2.1 million dollars to help kids in need at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Spangenberg said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the HuskyTHON money was used to buy personal protective equipment. Now, the hospital is building a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit tower and is investing in neonatal interventions with the money.
This year, HuskyTHON has other events and programming to prepare for the dance marathon holistically. For example, there is a day of strength, an event called “Unite as One,” a DEI committee meeting, the Fall Fest and the Winter Market. Students who attend 10 or more of these cause connection events will receive incentives and be eligible for a tour of the facility HuskyTHON is donating to.
“There’s a bunch of different reasons to join [HuskyTHON]. You meet some of the most inspirational people from it,” Brown said.
Bailey Brake, a seventh-semester political science and human rights major, said, “I have done philanthropy work with Alex’s Lemonade [Stand] and I wanted to get more involved in something like that in college.” When asked what being a part of HuskyTHON was like, she said, “It’s been awesome. This org attracts people who are great and everyone is here for the same reason and giving our time for the same cause.”
Dana Ulriksen, a fifth-semester accounting major, said, “I joined HuskyTHON because my brother [was born with] a rare developmental disability. I think he was able to defy science [with] community help. [Now he’s a] Special Olympics gold medalist in swimming.”
Maxine Lapine, a fifth-semester finance major, said, “I joined HuskyTHON because I love the community.” She said that HuskyTHON enables UConn to “work towards a greater cause than themselves as college students.”
On Wednesday, the campaign to register for HuskyTHON didn’t end with just tabling and holding promotional signs in front of the Student Union. Inside the Student Union Ballroom, there was a hype room. Upon entering, students were greeted with cardboard cutouts of children who have been helped by the HuskyTHON fundraiser, with their specific medical journeys written in an associated paragraph. There were also poster boards, a Nintendo Wii, a corkboard with a star for each person who donated and a backdrop to take photos promoting HuskyTHON.
“I came to campus and wanted a community of like-minded individuals. My aunt worked at Connecticut Children’s and she passed and I wanted to continue her legacy. I’m proud to be a part of something special,” Lucy Fader, a fifth-semester speech, language and hearing sciences student at the hype room, said.
When asked if there’s anything she wanted to tell the UConn community, Fader said, “Just register, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
You can register for HuskyTHON online or by texting “HuskyTHON” to 34984. Those who donate on Reg Week get a complimentary t-shirt, popcorn, a Connecticut Children’s pin and wristband.