The Ticket Center, located inside the Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky’s campus, collects DanceBlue cash and check donations. If donating checks, make sure they are made out to DanceBlue.
Don’t panic. Network For Good only tracks online donations, while DanceBlue Funds will record online as well as cash and check donations. Therefore, it is possible that they do not match. Please allow time for both types of donations to process and appear on your DanceBlue Funds page. If you are concerned about this, you are welcome to reach out to Lizzie Rupp, our Fundraising Chair, at [email protected]!
Your team captain will have access to DanceBlue Funds, our online database that tracks fundraising amounts, and they will be responsible for keeping track of how much money each individual on your team has raised.
Some of the most common fundraisers that teams host include merchandise sales, bake sales, and restaurant nights in the Lexington community. DanceBlue will also host events for dancers to participate in such as a letter drive, an email drive, and community canning (where teams go out into the community and ask for donations). We encourage teams to be creative in finding ways to fundraise!
This year, the fundraising minimum for each dancer is $380. However, this does not guarantee a spot on the floor. Due to capacity restrictions, only a certain amount of dancers are allowed on the floor. Therefore, dancers may not be given a spot on the floor even if he or she raised the minimum. We encourage dancers to raise as much money, and spirit points, as they can to avoid missing out on the best 24 hours of the year!
Contact Lucy Hargis, the Mini Marathons Chair, at [email protected] You will receive a packet that further explains the instructions about establishing a mini marathon at your high school.
We encourage you to apply for committee! Committee applications go live about a month after the marathon. Committee consists of five different committees, coordinators, and chairs. Also keep your eye out for various DanceBlue events that occur throughout the year, such as the DanceBlue 5K in the Fall.
First, you will create a team and determine a responsible team captain who will register your team on danceblue.org! Throughout the year, meet fundraising goals, earn spirit points by attending various DanceBlue events, then rock out on the dance floor with 1,000 of the coolest people. All FTK!
DanceBlue is one of the best traditions at the University of Kentucky and one of the fastest growing student-run philanthropy events in the United States. DanceBlue is an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself, to rally behind the bravest children, and to take a stand in the battle against pediatric cancer.
FTK stands for “For The Kids,” and it is the motto that we strive to live by each day.
We love having friends and family in the stands to cheer on dancers, but they cannot stand on the floor with you. However, you are still able to chat with them in specific areas. Friends and family are also welcome to volunteer at the marathon. Keep your eye out for volunteer sign ups for the marathon a few months before the event!
Not unless you choose to! Dancing is only one of the many elements at the marathon. Activities such as games, performances, contests, yoga, and many others may be at the marathon as well.
No dancing skills are required, just be FTK!
Anything that you can fit in your dancer bag! We highly suggest a few changes of clothes, multiple pairs of socks and undergarments, extra shoes and flip flops, a toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, tennis balls to roll out your feet, small snacks, hair ties/headbands, and a phone charger.
Leave your fancy clothes at home and wear something comfortable! Try athletic shorts or leggings, paired with comfy shoes. A lot of teams come dressed in a matching shirt or tank top, but it’s not mandatory. Also, don’t forget your fanny pack to have quick access to items, such as your cell phone, charger, gum, hair ties, deodorant, and chapstick!
The marathon is one big celebration of life and means something different to each individual who participates. However, the basic breakdown of the marathon is as follows: The first few hours are spent teaching the line dance. Then, at the top of each hour, everyone joins in on the line dance. Each hour is a different theme. Based on the hour’s theme, activities are provided for students to engage in after the line dance. The final hours of the marathon consist of a talent show where our patients have an opportunity to perform, a memorial of the children who have passed away, and the reveal of the total amount raised.
Spirit points are earned by attending DanceBlue events, such as ones hosted by individual teams such as restaurant nights and by DanceBlue (i.e. DanceBlue 5K). Spirit points are one of the factors that determine who can dance at the marathon, so be sure to earn as many as possible!
Team captains are the representative of his/her team. Team captains are responsible for passing all DanceBlue information along to their team members, tracking each of their team members’ donations through DanceBlue Funds, as well as attending bi-weekly meetings in the Fall and weekly meetings in the Spring.
Any UK student is welcome to be on a team! Teams may include your friends, dorm, or student/Greek organization.