The annual Mini MizzouThon event is occurring at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow in the Mizzou Rec Complex. An extension of MizzouThon, the six and a half hour dance marathon is an opportunity for high school students to participate in an activity that is fun and simultaneously raises money for the MU Children’s Hospital.
Senior Connor Squellati, cofounder of the RBHS Mini MizzouThon club and head of the Mini MizzouThon organization in Columbia, encourages students to participate and make an impact on their community.
“With Mini MizzouThon, students can actually see how they are contributing to their local Children’s Mircale Network hospital by raising money and engaging with Miracle families,” Squellati said. “Their stories of strength and survival are truly inspiring.”
He explained that the 1990 death of Ryan White, a Hemophilic teenager who received medication infected with HIV, sparked dance marathon fundraisers across the nation, including MizzouThon. Four years ago, MizzouThon members pledged to raise $1,000,000 for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Women and Children’s Hospital. Squellati has been spreading news of the event through social media and word of mouth. This inspired his friend, senior Faith Elsbury, participate.
“After watching a few of the videos from years prior, I became super interested and invested. I love helping others, and I love kids and dancing, so this seemed like an amazing and fun opportunity,” Elsbury said. “I am really looking forward to meeting all of the kids. Their stories are so inspiring, and I’m thrilled to be a part of giving them a night of fun within their hectic lives.”
In order to increase attendance, Squellati, who is also the president of RBHS’ National Honor Society (NHS), integrated Mini MizzouThon into NHS. Although part of his objective is to reach the donation limit set four years ago, the event means more than that for him.
“The goal of this Saturday is to not only celebrate the money raised throughout the year for the NICU but to also give support to the Miracle Families locally and nationwide who suffer from debilitating medical conditions,” Squellati said, “making sure that for at least one day a year, these children will have a smile on there face because every child has the right live, laugh and to be a kid no matter their physiological conditions.”