Dance Marathons are held all across the US every year, and all are fighting for the same cause. Some schools have raised over a million dollars for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals around the US and the number keeps on growing. Although we come from different school sizes and different
states, the cause that connects Dance Marathons together is one that never goes away. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion.In 2019, they raised more than $43.5 million—that’s a lot of miracles! Here at
ECDM we are dedicated to making sure there are more kids on playgrounds and in classrooms than in hospital beds and with the help of our campus, we can help make that goal a reality.
Emmanuel College Dance Marathon was started in 2012, at the start of the decade. At that time, the ECDM board set a goal to raise $15,000. For a school of our size, that was more than $5000 than the average amount raised by a school with a similar enrollment number. On April 14, 2012, Emmanuel
College Dance Marathon raised $18,500 for the kids at Boston Children’s Hospital during their first 12-hour event. This made ECDM the largest Dance Marathon, at the time, in the history of a Boston run Dance Marathon. Our goal was exceeded and ECDM was just getting started.
ECDM 2012
ECDM 2016
Since 2012, ECDM has raised half a million dollars for
Boston Children’s Hospital. At the start of the decade, no one could have imagined it would have come to this, and here we are, continuously fighting and
fundraising for our little neighbors right down the street. Since ECDM first started, the numbers keep growing, the participants keep increasing and the
miracles are overflowing. With the Centennial of Emmanuel College coming to a close, and the end of the decade that started it all for ECDM, we wanted to
hear from some of our current board members and our incredible alumni to see what they hope ECDM will accomplish or something they would like to see at Dance Marathon in the next decade.
“I’m really excited to see how ECDM and BCH grow, both together and separately! I can’t wait for ECDM to reach $1 million in donations (so many miracles!), to see how BCH grows and expands, and how the two will accomplish this together!”
“Wow - a new decade. It is crazy as a past participant and now alumni of Emmanuel College Dance Marathon to see the immense growth of the program from it’s start in 2012. In this next decade there is so much for ECDM to look forward to. In 2022 the program will celebrate it’s 10th year so I am absolutely looking forward to that monumental year of miracle making and all the creative opportunity that it allows for from a branding and participation standpoint. ECDM is also on track to join the Miracle Million Club this decade, a huge accomplishment of raising 1 million + as a program. I will never forget celebrating the milestone of $500k as such a small campus and young program, even getting Emmanuel College Dance Marathon listed on the Boston Children’s Hospital Wall as a donor of that amount of money. As the program continues to grow and tally up more successful years, I’m looking forward to seeing the Alumni community grow. Keeping alumni of the program and of the college involved is not only a great opportunity to increase fundraising numbers but foster the importance of community that Emmanuel is all about and bring together people all working for a common goal, helping the patients at BCH! ”
“I’d love to see ECDM hit $1,000,000!!”
“In the next decade I would like to see ECDM have corporate sponsorships and live music from celebrities!!”
“I would like to see $2 million for BCH!! ❤️💛💙🥳”
“For the next decade, I think I would love to see ECDM and Emmanuel College as one united front to help the kids at Boston Children’s Hospital. One of the biggest struggles you face on the board is trying to get people to become interested and passionate that they will help raise money and participate. It sometimes feels that every year, the school and the student body stops showing up to events (not just ours as well) and it makes it hard to feel like your school cares about the kids. I would love to see more students and faculty/staff participating or raising money to help the kids. All I can picture is a huge amount of people the morning of Dance Marathon and how we are all celebrating the miracles that Boston Children’s Hospital gives. Now that is something I would love to see.”
“My hope for ECDM in this new decade is to never lose sight of our beginnings. We are a program that has consistently exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds, but I hope that we don’t shy away from challenges for fear of not reaching a goal. Whether that goal be financial or programmatic, the purpose of setting a goal is to encourage growth. Our program helps to make the goals and dreams of the patients and their families at Boston Children’s Hospital come closer to being true with every social media post and penny raised. We are always making an impact, you are always making an impact, by choosing to do. I hope that anyone involved with ECDM in this next decade know that the most important part of being involved is choosing to push yourself and strive for the betterment of the kids, always.”
“I would like to see a Dance Marathon with at least 500 participants!”
ECDM has grown so much within the past decade, not only in size, but in strength. We are committed to change lives and will continue to do so until we reach that goal. We hope you’ll join ECDM this year in hitting our commitment to the kids and attending the event on March 28th at 10pm. We are so excited for what this next decade has in store for ECDM and we cannot wait to keep fighting for the kids.
