Dance Marathon presents $232,000 to College of Medicine

CONTACT: Susan Sigman
(850) 645-8844; ssigman@foundation.fsu.edu

Posted Nov. 8, 2011

Dance Marathon at Florida State University and Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida presented a $232,000 check to the Florida State University College of Medicine on Nov. 1 for the benefit of children throughout Gadsden and Leon counties.

 The proceeds are part of the record $487,000 raised in 2011 by Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy on the Florida State campus. Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at UF distributes part of the money raised to the FSU College of Medicine for use in pediatric outreach programs.

 The College of Medicine is using part of the proceeds to pay for a school-based health program in Gadsden County designed to address health-care disparities among area children. Other projects funded by the Dance Marathon earnings include equipment for the pediatrics unit at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Among those participating in the ceremony were Florida State President Eric J. Barron; Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Garnett S. Stokes; Andrew Haggard, chair of the FSU Board of Trustees; Dr. John P. Fogarty, dean of the FSU College of Medicine; Dr. Rick Bucciarelli, associate vice president for health affairs for government relations at the University of Florida; Paula Fortunas, president and CEO of the TMH Foundation; members of the Dance Marathon overall committee; and Florida State medical students who are part of the Pediatrics Interest Group.

The Dance Marathon members even demonstrated one of their dances.