Alumni Spotlight- Hannah Lynam '19

We’re back again with another Alumni Spotlight!

Meet Hannah Lynam! She graduated in 2019 and during her time on ECDM, was a dancer, team captain, the Donor Relations Coordinator and the Director of Operations her senior year!

Q: What inspires you to be FTK?

A: The kids and their families. Nothing is harder than being in the hospital or having someone you love in the hospital. They are scared that something will go wrong constantly but continue to have hope that everything will turn out okay. That they will see another birthday. That is what inspires me. Their hope to go on and continuing to do the next right thing every day.

Q: Favorite Memory or Miracle Moment of ECDM?

A:  Participating in ECDM, you may have a few miracle moments. My first was freshman year at the band cutting ceremony in which a little boy cut off my wrist band and it symbolized him leaving the hospital and getting better. That hit me that he had his whole life ahead of him because of the work done at Boston Children’s Hospital. One of my favorite memories is the reveal of how much we raised at last years dance marathon. Being a Director, I put more of myself into ECDM than any other year. Even though we didn’t raise more than the year before, we all fought so hard to raise that money for the kids. We were exhausted, inspired, and filled with so much joy that we could help make the world a better place. I cherished every moment that morning and every hug shared. It was something I will never forget.

Q: why should others on campus be involved in ECDM?

A: It is huge to be part of something bigger than yourself. To know you are making a difference and that you are 100% helping a child or family at the hospital. When you take part in ECDM you are changing someone’s life. That’s something you don’t get very often.

Q: What ways have you continued to be FTK even as an alum?

A: For me, I have supported ECDM at events. Being FTK, I have been doing that by working to become a Registered Nurse! I will be hopefully doing a rotation at Boston Children’s Hospital and can help the little kiddos at a more hands on capacity.

Q: what is one thing you would want to tell a first-year student about ECDM or just dance marathon in general?

A: It may be scary to join ECDM and raise money by asking family and friends. Trust me, I know it’s scary and it feels overwhelming. But I believe that you have it in you to play a part in this movement. Take baby steps to take part. You don’t need to be that group leader but you can have fun and raise money. Every little penny counts.

Alumni Spotlight- Jenn Scarborough '17

We’re back again with another Alumni Spotlight!

Meet Jenn Scarborough! She graduated in 2017 and during her time on ECDM, was a dancer, the Fundraising Coordinator, and the Volunteers’ Committee Lead!

Q: What inspires you to be FTK?

A: I got involved as a freshman because I wanted to make friends, very cliche. My freshman year, just before dance marathon, my sister was admitted to a CMN hospital and was treated there and all of a sudden it went from, “someone please like me in college” to this very personal thing of, “now I totally understand what this is about”. My first year, I wasn’t super involved, I think I raised the minimum for the event, I didn’t really go to a lot of the other events, and then I had this really life changing experience and understanding what they did to care for her, for me, for my mom, how much they followed up with her after she was out of the hospital, what kind of true all encompassing care she was getting so not just medicine. And the example I always give, I was talking to my sister at the hospital one day and she told me they give her strawberry ice cream and she was excited for ice cream this morning and she realized if she was excited for ice cream, she could maybe feel other excitement again and maybe this is going to be okay. And it was this moment that it wasn’t the medicine, it wasn’t the doctors, it wasn't the therapy, all of that is important, all of that she got, but it was the human kindness that the hospital provided. And someone at the Rhode Island dance marathon danced for her and that’s why Hasbro Children’s Hospital has strawberry ice cream, is us. That was really the moment things fell into place for me, that I could give that to someone here.

Q: Favorite Memory or Miracle Moment of ECDM?

A: My senior year I got to run in with Emily and go cut off wristbands with her, the picture is my laptop background. Me and Emily cut off Emma’s band, and she was the fundraising coordinator after me and it was this very circular moment that I was the fundraising coordinator and I passed it down to Emma when I was a senior and she took over and then we got to cut the band as I was leaving and it was very nice curtain on my senior year. It was very emotional, I cried a lot. There’s so many good memories. I’ve made so many friends through this organization, like some of my closest friends to this day are from dance marathon.

Q: Why should others on campus be involved in ECDM?

A: There is always the cliche, it’s part of a bigger cause, you’re helping someone other than yourself. There’s a lot of bad things going on now, the world feels a little bit dark and its really hard and this is a moment of light; this is something good. There’s a lot of things that are too big for us to change but every one of us can give $5, every one of us can give an hour and that’s enough. A diaper is 50 cents, socks are a dollar. Everyone one of us has the power to drastically change a child’s life. There’s so many bad things right now, that just that one moment is enough, at least for me, to start beating back against that tide and make some good in the world that needs a little bit of hope.

Q: What ways have you continued to be FTK even as an alum?

A: I went and did this in grad school at Tufts, I was the graduate student liaison there and brought a lot of our traditions we have here to Tufts. I ran the half marathon for CMNH in Disney last year which was super fun. I am the captain of the 2017 alumni team this year. I fundraise still and I actually just hit $7,000 in seven years last week!

Q: What is one thing you would want to tell a first-year student about ECDM or just dance marathon in general?

A: I think the biggest thing is it seems so easy to be dismissive, to be like, it is fun, is it worth it, do I want to stay up all night; the moment of the kids coming in in the morning the reward is so much greater if you stay the whole night. There’s the line in Hamilton, “If you stand for nothing, what do you fall for?”, if you stand for them it feels so much more meaningful when they walk in and you can literally say, I have physically stood up for you, this person directly in front of me. If you just give yourself that chance one year, it’s very hard to not do it again. And it feels so hard at 4 a.m. to think it’s going to be worth it in a few hours, because it hurts, you’re tired, the gym gets emptier and emptier. Everyone enjoys it in the morning but the people who stayed just get an entirely different experience, and you never forget it and you’re forever changed by it. It just made me a fundamentally better person.

Light It Up Blue 2020 Wrap Up!

Yesterday, ECDM celebrated Light it Up Blue day and we lit the JYC up blue for Boston Children’s Hospital! Every year on the 24th of February, landmarks over Boston also light up blue to celebrate and bring awareness to all of the life saving work that BCH does for the kids! ECDM celebrated in the way we know how! We decorated the JYC and encouraged others on campus to wear blue in support of BCH. We also encouraged people to raise $24 for the 24th of February! By the end of the day, we had raised $5,000 and had 46 people register for ECDM 20!

We could not have asked for a better Light it Up Blue day and thank you to everyone who donated and showed their support for BCH and all they do for the kids! Only 4 more weeks until the big event!!

Are you ready Emmanuel???

Day of Miracles 2020 Wrap Up!

Yesterday, ECDM celebrated Day of Miracles! We set a goal to raise $97 for the 97 weeks our miracle child Ellie has been in treatment for Leukemia. A little bit about Ellie, she was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2018 at the age of 3 years old, six months after her parents bought a fixer-upper. Her parents had to stop any and all plans to update their home in order to take care of Ellie. Ellie has two sisters, Julia (9) and Penelope (2), and they have only gotten closer through this difficult time for their family. Ellie travels to Boston Children’s Hospital for physical therapy and chemotherapy once a week, and she wants to be a “needle nurse” when she grows up.

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Day of Miracles is our biggest push day before the big event! We sold merchandise, Brave Bands, and baked goods for the campus to enjoy while also encouraging them to raise $97 for Ellie! By the end of the day, 8 more people signed up for ECDM 20 and ECDM had raised $8,000 on Day of Miracles! (that’s a lot of miracles!)

Thank you to everyone who came out yesterday and bought merch or baked goods, registered for ECDM, and donated on Day of Miracles. None of this would be possible without you!

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For The Kids Always

Alumni Spotlight- Tori LaRoche '18

Here at ECDM, the relationships we build last far beyond after we graduate. We are always so grateful for all of our lovely alumni who help out and fundraise even after they have left Emmanuel. Introducing, the Alumni Spotlight series here on the blog! We asked some of our alumni some questions about and marathon and what it means to be FTK. Come back every other week leading up to dance marathon to see a new alum featured!

Meet Tori LaRoche! She graduated in 2018 and during her time on ECDM, served as the Co-chair of both Marathon Events and Special Events and served as the Director of Events.

Q: What inspires you to be FTK?

A: I am inspired by the amazing doctors, nurses, researches, child life specialists, etc that all dedicate themselves to making sure that their patients and families are getting every ounce of care that they deserve. I am also, of course, inspired by each and every child that goes through the doors at BCH. The fact that they can go through the fight of their lives with a smile on their face is something that is awe-inspiring.

Q: Favorite memory or miracle moment of ECDM?

A: The first memory that comes to mind is when we raised the numbers my sophomore year (2016) and we raised over $100,000 for the first time ever. I don't know if I will ever have a feeling like that again! Also, my senior year (2018), getting ready with the whole board the night before and getting our Oofoo's!

Q: Why should others on campus be involved in ECDM?

A: Not only is it extremely meaningful to be a part of something so much bigger than oneself, but the memories and connections made are something you won't be able to find anywhere else.

Q: What ways have you continued to be FTK even as an alum?

A: ECDM is what made me realize I wanted to go into nursing. I truly don't know where I would be right now if it weren't for ECDM. I am grateful every day for the path it has sent me on, so I try to continue and give back as much as I can!

Q: What is one thing you would want to tell a first-year student about ECDM or just dance marathon in general?

A: There is something for everyone when getting involved in ECDM. Whether you just go and support/have a NIGHT every year, or if you decide to apply for the board, you will find something that changes you for good. Seeing the kids in the morning, dancing the night away with your friends, planning fundraisers with board members, etc; no matter what it is, you will be thankful for having been a part of something so amazing.

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Braves Bands and ECDM

Emmanuel College Dance Marathon is excited to once again to be collaborating with Brave Bands! Last year we collaborated with them and had incredible success and cute things to wear to ECDM 19. They always have such cute prints and designs, and are all for a good cause!

Brave Bands was founded in 2016 when the co-founders Jess and Nate, had the idea to make headbands for hospitalized children. When Jess was in college, she was on the board for her Dance Marathon and it was such an amazing experience that she wanted to continue her work for such an amazing cause! She also used to work as a Child Life Specialist which furthers her love for the cause.

She creates the headbands and bun bands and collaborates with colleges who have Dance Marathons. 25% of each purchase goes towards the Children’s Hospital that the Dance Marathon is supporting. We had such great success last year that we collaborated with them again and we are not disappointed! They are such cute accessories supporting an amazing cause (you also get something cute to wear the night of Dance Marathon!)

Click here to get your Brave Band today!

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Here are some pictures of past and current board members with their Brave Bands!

A New Decade For Emmanuel College Dance Marathon

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.

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“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!”

— Valbona Mullai '21

“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! ”

— Marisa Ratte '18

“I’d love to see ECDM hit $1,000,000!!”

— Alexx Simpson '19

“In the next decade I would like to see ECDM have corporate sponsorships and live music from celebrities!!”

— Tori Rieger '20

“I would like to see $2 million for BCH!! ❤️💛💙🥳”

— Amber Sousa '21

“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.”

— Hannah Lynam '19

“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.”

— Tatiana Havens '19

“I would like to see a Dance Marathon with at least 500 participants!”

— Penny Moroso '22

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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.

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Click here to register for ECDM 20!

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Click here to donate to ECDM 20!

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Click here to sign up as a volunteer for ECDM 20!

Kicking off the ECDM Season

In October, some of the ECDM Executive Board went to visit and tour Boston Children’s Hospital and a retreat to start brainstorming for ECDM 20!

Any time there is a chance to see some of the places where our money goes, it is an incredible feeling. We talked to some of our Executive Board members on what they thought of the retreat as a whole or specific parts that stood out to them.

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Colleen Flannagan is one of our In-Event Coordinators and one thing she took away from the retreat was the brainstorm we had as a group!

“The brainstorm got me excited for in events because we were talking about all the events we wanted as a board and seeing how enthusiastic the baord members were to continue fundraising and keep particants there was so great.
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Valbona Mullai is our Social Media Coordinator and she loved kicking off the ECDM year with this tour and retreat!

“The retreat was such a great way to start our year. Touring BHC and seeing all the changes they are making in the next few years, and realizing the ECDM is a part of that change, was amazing.”

Penny Moroso is one of our Morale Coordinators and she loved touring Boston Children’s Hospital!

“I really loved seeing how much effort BCH puts in to making the hospital feel like home for the long term patients and how they’re making an outdoor space for patients who can’t actually go outside with all their equipment. ”

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Keep checking back in for more updates about ECDM!

Being a Color Team Leader

ECDM 18 Color Team Leaders!

Color Team Leader Applications for ECDM 20 are live and due this week! We talked to some of our past ECDM Color Team Leaders to see what was their favorite parts, best memories and experiences as a Color Team Leader and why you should apply!

Dylan Kapusta was a color team leader for the Blue Team for ECDM 18!

“My favorite memory as a color team leader was seeing my team of people who may not have all known each other, cheering each other on in the late hours of the night and still smiling throughout each event. It's a great opportunity to practice more leadership skills, meet new people and be a part of something bigger than yourself. It was an amazing, humbling experience, and if I hadn't done it I wouldn't be as involved with ECDM and committed to the kids as I am now. ECDM has changed my life for the better and it all started with being a color team leader for me.”

Alexis Scrima was a color team leader for the Yellow Team for ECDM 18!

“My favorite memory of being a color team leader was being able to motivate my team and start our team chant in the late hours of the night. Not only did being a color team leader kick start my involvement in ECDM, but it also allowed me to express my love and passion for the kids with a whole group of people who’s passion was the same. And even if we just met that night, we were committed to the kids at BCH together.”

Parker West was a color team leader for the Red Team for ECDM 18!

“My fondest memory as a color team leader was around 6 o’clock in the morning on the day of ECDM when everyone was on the verge of crashing. The color team leaders circled up with a few board members and had a brief pep talk about throwing all of their energy into the next couple of hours. We got the students all super excited and ready for the kids from BCH to come to Emmanuel. And all of the excitement and joy really showed as soon as the miracle families arrived and the board revealed the grand total of the year!”

Grace Viviano was a color team leader for the Yellow Team for ECDM 19!

”My time as a color team leader was one I will never forget because I loved getting Emmanuel students involved in such an amazing event. I especially loved pumping everyone up when the miracle kids arrived because they looked so excited when they saw how happy they were when we welcomed them. Also doing hungry hungry hippos and tug of war and seeing how into it everyone gets is so energizing and rewarding.”

Christine Burke was a color team leader for the Blue Team for ECDM 19!

“My favorite memory as a color team leader was decorating my color's corner of the gym with my partner! The gym was packed with such high energy and everyone in that gym was genuinely proud and excited. I loved getting an inside look at what happened behind the scenes in terms of set up and the magic behind it all. I have never experienced such love or passion for one thing until that moment. I am so so so happy that I applied and got the position. Submitting just one short application has opened so many doors for me personally and I could not recommend applying enough!!”

Want to be a color team leader for ECDM 20? Click here to apply! Applications are due Friday!