Hey Highlanders! NJIT’s first ever Dance Marathon –HighlanderThon— is underway, so be sure to come out to all the events and have some good ol’ NJIT fun!
What is HighlanderThon? Well, it is an 18 hour long Dance Marathon fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Children’s Specialized Hospital happening on April 17, 2015 (mark your calendars!). Throughout the school year, there will tons of shorter events leading up to, and creating awareness for, the big day! Keep an eye out for the dates of these events to get just a small, decadent taste of what HighlanderThon will be like.
Every year, the crowd at HighlanderThon is much greater than just a mix of students and faculty attending a campus event. Sponsored families from all over Newark and Essex County come out to show their love, support, and appreciation for the charity and awareness HighlanderThon provides. It’s a whole 18 hours dedicated to those children, putting them in the spotlight and on top of the world.
In order to participate in HighlanderThon, you must raise a minimum of sixty-two dollars, but more money is absolutely acceptable. The money is not to come straight from your pocket. Tell your family and friends about the event and collect donations of any amount. This is to help spread the word so that the event can branch out beyond the NJIT campus and draw attention from Newark’s residents. Help ignite the hype by getting the news of HighlanderThon onto social media for all who are passionate about making a difference. Hey, the more the merrier!
For every sixty seconds that passes, sixty-two children are admitted into a Children’s Miracle Network hospital, most with life-threatening diseases. This is the reason for the participation fee of at least sixty-two dollars; one dollar per child, per minute. All contributions will be directly donated to the local New Jersey Children’s Specialized Hospital to help pay for the treatments they need to survive.
Not only will you feel good about helping the children, but by attending HighlanderThon you will have fun doing an amazing deed! From all the events provided, how will you spend your eighteen hours? Will you dance all night long to the DJ and live bands? Or will you opt for a more laidback night at the crafts tables? Enticed to win a little something? Check out all the games and competitions where you can win prizes, or enter the raffle drawing. Be a free spirit and try a little bit of everything! And, yes, there will be food!
The entire HighlanderThon committee is highly dedicated to making this event a communal celebration, reaching beyond the students to grab the attention of the entire Newark municipal. Many people have little or no knowledge of just how many families Children’s Network Hospitals help every year. Nearly ten million children a year receive personalized and compassionate medical attention from the specialized doctors through each Children’s Network Hospital.
Above all, HighlanderThon is a movement with one massive goal: to unite the community and bring spirit to those around us! Don’t miss out on it. Every minute, there are sixty-two children fighting for their lives. Come out and have fun as we celebrate those who have won their struggle and support those who are still struggling.
Do it for the kids! (#FTK)
If you would like to register or you would like more information, please log onto www.HighlanderThon.com.
Holly Junice
