Concerts for students, an auction and a mock beauty pageant are just some of the alternative fundraising methods used by Northwestern students to raise money for the 33rd annual Dance Marathon starting March 7.
NU's DM, one of the largest student-run collegiate philanthropies in the nation, is sponsoring Bear Necessities, a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 working to eliminate pediatric cancer.
Due to higher-than-normal interest, the number of couples allowed to dance this year has been raised. Overflow dancers will rotate time between Norris University Center's Louis Room and a heated tent on the center's South Lawn.
Dancers were supposed to turn in half of their participation fee - or $400 - on Jan. 31. Solicitation letters and canning were popular fund-raising methods.
"I stick with canning because it is very profitable," said Danny Hamburg, a Weinberg sophomore and an independent dancer for Zeta Beta Tau."It raises a lot of money very quickly."
Although canning and soliciting relatives and friends for donations are the tried and true methods of DM fundraising, others opted to use more creative methods.
"My band and I are holding a benefit concert, and my partner has already raised over $500," McCormick sophomore Justin Mier said.
Mier, a returning dancer will be dancing with the Multi-Ethnic InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
Joseph McClelland, a Music and Weinberg sophomore, is the Willard Residential College DM co-chairman and is responsible for most of the dorm's fundraising. The dorm held its annual auction in November to raise money for the residential college's annual DM team.
"We raffle things such as taking care of you when you are sick, washing your clothes, giving you a massage, making you dinner, serenading you or editing your paper," McClelland said.
"Then it goes onto a date section, where people offer themselves for one night. They can take you to a movie or out to dinner with you and your friends."
Willard also held a mock beauty pageant in December to raise money.
"Instead of having girls model, the guys modeled," McClelland said. "Each (model) would have a collection box and whoever had the most money was crowned Mr. Willard."
Even after the half-money deadline, some dancers are still worried they won't have enough.
Newcomer LeslieAnn Tompach said although she has sent out solicitation letters, she would like to find more time to be able to can.
"I have raised over $200 (through letters), but I'm worried that I will not have enough," the Weinberg freshman said.
Whether students have already reached their fund-raising goals or not, some dancers said they feel excited and a little nervous about the 30-hour event.
"I'm really excited," said Weinberg junior Mary Licandro, who is helping lead Delta Gamma's DM fundraising. "It's so nice to see so many people across the campus work hard for a goal. It is amazing that we raise money for one goal that makes such a difference."
Lilly Hubschman, a SESP junior and dancer for the Hillel team, said she and her partner, Weinberg junior Joseph Bellanca, are excited to dance again this year.
"It's like my favorite thing," Hubschman said. "Everybody does great things on this campus, but (DM) is not only a tradition, but an amazing thing we do for the (NU) community, the Chicago community and the world."
l-mogannam@northwestern.edu
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