RBHS’ Mini MizzouThon chapter, BruinThon, will hold its annual main event in the RBHS Main Gym Saturday, Feb. 10 from 2-5pm. The event serves as the final push in the club’s year-long efforts to raise funds for the University of Missouri — Columbia (MU) Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization that raises funds and awareness for pediatric healthcare treatments and research.
The event is a three-hour dance marathon open to the public with a $10 entry fee at the door. Driven by the club’s motto, “For The Kids,” the event features guest speakers from Miracle families, music, dancing, games, snacks and raffles. Attendees are encouraged to spread the word and donate to the Donor Drive, the club’s fundraising platform, throughout the event. This leads up to the total fundraising reveal for the year at the end of the three hours. The event is split into one-hour blocks with different themes for participants to dress and dance to accordingly. This year’s themes include beach, Disney and neon “Power Hour,” in which club members make the final push to reach their donation goals.
In preparation for the event, BruinThon holds many planning meetings and monthly fundraisers throughout the year, led by co-presidents senior Kate Hamilton and senior Kate Dyer. Hamilton said she and Dyer sat down at the beginning of the year to discuss goals for the main event. Their main objectives include increasing main event participation and donations by getting more people to attend.
“Last year we were incredibly successful and raised $14,500 for the hospital,” Dyer said. “This year we hope to top this total by raising over $15,000. […] We hope to make the event more of a family event this year, so we want everyone to encourage their family, friends, neighbors or anyone in their life to come.”
Hamilton said one of the biggest challenges with both leading the club and organizing the main event was getting students involved. She said the more people are involved, the more money can be raised for the Children’s hospital, so attendance is a key factor.
“[One thing] that is difficult is getting people involved and willing to come to meetings and [fundraisers],” Hamilton said. “It is hard to get a crowd of high schoolers involved in extracurriculars because everyone has such a busy schedule, but this year, we have improved club participation by quite a bit.”
Sophomore Claire Richardson, a member of BruinThon, said although this is her first year in the club, she will be attending the main event and is looking forward to it.
“The main event’s impact is changing lives at the Children’s hospital and showing people that raising money for a good cause is fun and very rewarding,” Richardson said. “I will definitely be at the main event in the future because the cause is so worth fundraising for, and all of the people working together in the club makes it a great environment.”
BruinThon’s main goal, alongside raising funds, is to create a fun environment for families and friends. As their last year as co-presidents, Hamilton and Dyer agreed to “give it everything they’ve got” in order to make a lasting impact on the club and its future.
“[The main event] is important because we are able to make such a difference in the lives of the miracle families even at the high school level,” Dyer said. “This is our second year back from [the pandemic] so we have the experience of last year under our belt, and we are ready to come back stronger than last year and raise even more money ‘For The Kids.’”
Are you going to the BruinThon main event? Let us know in the comments below.
