The Pack-a-Thon dance marathon is expected to quadruple in number of participants this year, and according to Overall Chair Ruth Garland, the increase is probably due to the shortened time-frame.
This year, organizers decided to reduce the dance marathon to 12 hours from the original 24, and the number of participants has increased from the 30 or 40 from last year to at least 120 for SaturdayÕs event, Garland, a senior in biochemistry, said.
“A lot of people wanted to participate, but 24 hours is a big time commitment,” she said.
But Jenna Tie, operations chair and junior in communication, said the increase is probably based on the amount of groups getting involved.
“This year we really pushed to reach out further [across campus],” Tie said.
The event will start at noon Saturday in Carmichael Complex. The 120 lifesavers, or committed participants who have donated at least $50, cannot sit or sleep during the 12 hours of the marathon, which Tie said represents the struggles of the children in the N.C. Children’s Hospital.
While they did not work directly with the Krispy Kreme Challenge, Garland said they are donating all proceeds to the same Children’s Hospital fund, the same charity as the KKC.
And Garland said they hope to earn a combined $35,000 for the hospital between the two fundraisers, as the KKC earned $20,000.
A different student organization will be in charge of each hour of activity during the Pack-a-Thon, and Tie said there will be different events during the marathon in which students can participate.
There will be a volleyball tournament featuring members of the N.C. State volleyball team, and dodgeball and basketball tournaments, she said.
These will be buy-in tournaments, and there will also be several raffles and a silent auction to raise additional funds.
According to Garland, there will be 250 $10 raffle tickets available for an American Airlines ticket worth $750, and students may purchase as many as they like.
And Chancellor James Oblinger has provided two tickets to sit in his box at the menÕs basketball game against Clemson for the top-raising lifesaver.
All students are welcome to come to participate, Garland said, as long as they bring their student IDs, and there will be about 80 volunteers working the event.
Garland said she became involved in the event two years ago, and said she was encouraged to do it because she wants to work in pediatrics, and she identified with the cause.
“I’m a pre-med student,” she said. “I love it so much. It has a big impact on me and my career.”
And the group works all year to raise money for the Children’s Hospital.
“We plan golf tournaments [and other fundraisers],” Julia Cavanaugh, lifesaver organizer and senior in biochemistry and microbiology, said. “It’s a year-long commitment.”
While they are reducing the hours of the event this year, Tie said she wasn’t sure if organizers would extend the hours of the event if it turned out to be more successful.
And she emphasized that the event will not be about prizes, but the children helped by the proceeds. In one portion, five or six families involved in the hospital will come to share their stories, which she said is always inspirational.
