We’re back with another Alumni Spotlight!
Meet Marisa Ratté! She graduated in 2018 and now lives and works in Boston! During her time on ECDM, was a dancer her first year, as a sophomore she served as the Social Media & Technology Coordinator as well as one of 2 Printed Media Coordinators. Her junior year she served as the Promotions & Recruitment Chair, overseeing three recruitment coordinators and a Printed Media Coordinator while she worked to launch and manage the programs first website as well as our social media platforms! Finally, her senior year, she served as the Director of Branding and oversaw a Merchandise and Sales Coordinator, A Social Media and Website Coordinator, and a Printed Media Coordinator. She is also currently on her second year of fundraising as an alumni!
Q: What inspires you to be FTK?
A: Above all else, it's the patients and their families that inspire me to be FTK. I originally signed up as a fundraiser/dancer my freshman year because an EC Senior who I knew from my hometown had previously said to me, "if there is anything to get involved in at Emmanuel, it's Dance Marathon," and she was right. After attending my first Dance Marathon and hearing from the kids and families themselves how much the Dance Marathon movement and ECDM means to them and the opportunity it provides, and lives it saves, I was sold. I knew that it was something meaningful that I could pour my heart into doing and every year it's left entirely full.
Q: Favorite memory/miracle moment from ecdm?
A: I think one miracle moment/memory in particular I will always cherish (though there are so many!) is from the end of my sophomore year, specifically our morning of total reveal at ECDM16. The story starts before that academic year even began, I had recently been accepted to the ECDM Executive Board and was attending my first Board Meeting. Everyone was blow away by what the program had just raised in only it's 4th year (just over $90k), but it was now time to set our new goal. Talks of $92k or $95k were pitched, and I was genuinely confused as to why we would be so close to the milestone of six figures and not go for it. So I spoke up and suggested we raise $100,000, and the looks I got back in response were hilarious. The soon to be seniors in the room were not happy, having a freshman who had never been a part of running the show shouldn't have been pitching this. But, our advisor agreed. Fast forward to the end of Winter Break and the start of 2016. ECDM received a hefty $20k donation from a very charitable company of an Emmanuel student's parent. The news spread quick and immediately there was talk on campus of us only being able to reach our goal because of this contribution. Everyone involved in ECDM works incredibly hard for each cent they raise, so being doubted and others using that $20k as an excuse hurt. We set out for the spring semester with an internal goal of $120k just to prove those who doubted us wrong. And we did it. The morning of Dance Marathon, raising those numbers to reflect an over $120,000 donation was indescribable. We demolished our commitment to Boston Children's and held up 6 figures in our fifth year as a program. It's a moment I'll never forget and something that I held with me for the rest of my ECDM experience.
Q: Why should others on campus be involved in ecdm?
A: I think that others on Emmanuel's campus should get involved in ECDM for the sheer fact that it is an incredibly fun and inclusive way to give back to a Hospital that has touched so many lives. By the theory of six degrees of separation, I guarantee that you know someone who has been treated or affected by Boston Children's. And, at Emmanuel there is the unique privilege of having the #1 Pediatrics Hospital in the world in our backyard - so we can see first hand how important of a place we are supporting through fundraising. Involving yourself in this program celebrates core values of EC like community and commitment. ECDM brings sports teams, clubs, residence buildings, and many others together, allowing for any and all to be involved. It bridges the difficulty of being a college student that is asking others for financial support for the Hospital with the energy of activities like dodgeball, karaoke, relay races, dancing, and creativity. It celebrates hard work, in every sense, from those who fundraise, to the hospital staff who go above and beyond, to the patients who practice strength and resilience daily. Other's should get involved simply because it's an experience bigger and more important than perhaps anything else you could partake in during your undergraduate years, and there is no way you could regret being a part of it.
Q: What ways have you continued to be FTK even as an alum?
A: As an alumni I have been so privileged to continue my participation in the program. Dance Marathon was so much of my college experience that I was so eager to stay involved post-grad. Last year I organized an Alumni Letter Project, reaching out to other ECDM alumni to write letters to the current board members, encouraging them and reminding them that they have a community to lean on for inspiration and support. I also was able to support fundraisers throughout the year like Trivia for Tots, the Spelling Bee, and EC Dancing with the Stars. Then, of course I was dancing around the gym for the full 12 hour event after helping run check-in with other alumni last March. This year, I've been collaborating with Tabatha, this years ECDM Executive Director, to help encourage more alumni involvement. Together we rounded up alumni to create fundraising teams for 2017, 2018, and 2019 graduates! Since graduating, I has raised an additional $2,350 and am still striving for more before this years Dance Marathon on March 28th. I just hosted my first fundraising event as an alumni with a DIY Vision Board and Mimosa's morning at my Aunt's shop/studio in New Hampshire where we raised $600 in ticket prices that I've donated to ECDM.
Q: what is one thing you would want to tell a first-year student about ecdm or just dance marathon in general?
A: If I were to tell a first-year student about ECDM or the Dance Marathon movement, I would talk about the selflessness and sense of community it provides. One of the biggest attractions about Dance Marathon is that it's fun! The big events are packed with food, games, competitions, and performances that make the night a blast, but they are only as fun and as inspiring as they are because of the extremely selfless people that make them happen. This nationwide movement brings thousands of different personalities and people together under one common goal and it's really beautiful to see the friendships and bonds formed amongst dancers, leadership team members, and patients/patient families in the process. Especially at Emmanuel, being such a small campus, it shows the core value of community at it's finest.
