Students share methods to fundraise for Rutgers University Dance Marathon 2015

As Rutgers University Dance Marathon steadily approaches, student participants in the 30-hour non-stop dance fest are continuing to collect money for children affected by cancer and blood disorders.

But before students can throw themselves into the heart of RUDM's much-awaited festivities at Club DM, a rager that throbs from the night into the early morning, students need to wrap up their fundraising campaigns.

With the help of thousands of involved students, the event, scheduled for April 11 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center, is the largest student run fundraiser for the Embrace Kids Foundation in the state of New Jersey, said Emily Angstadt, co-Dance Marathon chairman of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and a School of Arts and Sciences senior. 

Even though RUDM is held in April, some students begin to fundraise as early as the fall, said Natale Mazzaferro, director of operations for RUDM and a brother of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

“As a dancer, you can sign up in November and begin fundraising money," he said. "Every dancer needs to raise a minimum of $350 in order to participate and the money is due the Friday before spring break every year,” he said. “A student can also get involved as a volunteer to assist at the event. It is the same sign up and fundraising process. However, the student must raise a $100 minimum in order to volunteer for a 5-hour shift marathon weekend.”

The brothers of Phi Sigma Kappa have been canning, a technique where students accumulate money by going through town and asking passersby to putt money in a plastic bin, he said.

In addition to fundraising, Mazzaferro said all students are encouraged to use social media to prepare for the various events at the marathon, like a costume-themed hour.

Jamie Basile, chapter president of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, said a great effort is lent to fundraising when preparing for RUDM.

“Most of the donations for the event are collected in the months leading up to the event, but donations can still be made up until the end of the event,” she said.

Each philanthropic organization fundraises using a variety of techniques ranging from canning in New Brunswick and students' home towns, planning fundraising events and reaching out to friends and family for support, she said.

Unique approaches with regards to fundraising for RUDM are often taken by different organizations.

Setting up each dancer, fundraiser and volunteer with a website where they can collect donations from family and friends is one approach, Basile said. The students then share their particular link via social media in hopes of getting a generous donation.

“Canning has also been a successful means of fundraising for many participants,” she said. “In addition to canning and sharing our donor pages online, our sorority has planned many events this semester in order to increase our fundraising total for Dance Marathon.”

This semester, Phi Sigma Sigma hosted a "Sweetheart Dessert Night" at their sorority house on Union Street, where students were invited to indulge in unlimited desserts for $5. 

Later this month, the sisters of Phi Sigma Sigma will be assembling "StRUt for the Kids," a fashion show where children from the Embrace Kids Foundation are invited to model with members of the Greek community on a platform runway.

Other kinds of support for the foundation include, but are not limited to, tutoring children, offering emotional support and offering financial support, said Gianna Silvi, Dance Marathon chairman of Phi Sigma Sigma.

Silvi, a School Of Arts And Sciences junior, said each organization that is registered is also paired with an "RU4Kids" family, which is a family in the Embrace Kids Foundation.

The organization spends time with the child, gets to know them and goes to events with them, she said. 

Families of the children also come to RUDM and spend time with the members of the organization, which makes that part of the marathon very special, Silva said.

Silvi, who is also a morale captain for Phi Sigma Sigma, said she has seen a beautiful kind of strength and bravery among the kids as they battle their diseases. 

She said being involved in Dance Marathon is a way for her to say "I stand with you, support you and believe in you."

“When you see the total amount raised for the kids at the end of the 30-hour marathon, you get an unexplainable feeling that brings you to tears,” Silvi said. “That feeling is why we work hard every year to make the marathon the best event it can be.”