Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon harnesses ‘Giving Tuesday’ to further cause

November 28, 2016 (Notre Dame, Ind.) — On Tuesday November 29, also known as, “Giving Tuesday,” Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon (SMCDM) will launch a day-long campaign to contribute to their yearlong fundraising efforts.

“Giving Tuesday is important to SMCDM as it is a good way to kick off the of season giving by helping those families at Riley Hospital for Children who may not be able to go home for the holidays. This is our way of supporting them,” said Maranda Pennington ’17, president of SMCDM.

They have challenged themselves to set a goal of $7,500 to be raised on this day. All money donated will go directly to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and counted in the final reveal of the yearlong total at midnight on Saturday April 1. 
“We hope our community can come together and help us meet our goal. On April 1, we’ll dance for a day to give hope for a lifetime,” said Hannah Monte ’17, vice president of SMCDM.

So far this year, SMCDM has organized a 5K race in honor of former Riley Hospital Patient Charlotte Terry, who lost her battle with brain cancer at 10 months. They also hosted a Halloween party for local Riley kids, organized merchandising sales to boost fundraising, and collaborated with local businesses for “give back nights.” They also have established a partnership with Holy Cross College, which is where the Marathon will be held this year. 

Their hard work shows that SMCDM is more than a long-distance relationship between Saint Mary’s College and Riley Hospital, which is about three hours south of campus. Families from St. Joseph and surrounding counties turn to Riley Hospital and its regional clinics more than 5,000 times each year for compassionate care, comfort, and support for their children. For more than 20 years Riley Hospital physicians have traveled to South Bend to provide medical care for children. Ten out of 10 medical specialty programs are ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s 2016-17 of Best Children’s Hospitals.

Monetary donations are encouraged. Checks or cash can be mailed to Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon, 244 Student Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Online donations can be made by following this link: http://rcf.convio.net/site/TR/DanceMarathon/DanceMarathons?pg=entry&fr_id=1780

Find out more at Facebook.com/SaintMarysDM

About Riley Children’s Foundation: Riley Children’s Foundation supports Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, Camp Riley and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. As Indiana’s only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children, Riley Hospital has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families since 1924. Each year children from all 92 Indiana counties turn to Riley Hospital and its regional clinics throughout the state more than 300,000 times. Riley Hospital’s partnership with Indiana University Health and its strong affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine make Riley Hospital the leader in pediatric care in the state and the region. For more information, visit RileyKids.org.