My name is Rob Helbock and I am lucky enough to be the graduate advisor for the 2020-2021 OttoTHON executive board. I am in my second year of graduate school here at Syracuse University, but my passion for Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon started 6 years ago at Clemson University. I was part of the Executive Board for Clemson Miracle for 3 years and I have loved working and supporting the kids of Children’s Miracle Network ever since. At Clemson, our dance marathon has always been in the spring, which makes me confidence in OttoTHON’s decision. Through this blog, I want to help everyone understand why this move should be considered a growing step in the next chapter of our growing dance marathon program. 

Changing our big event to the spring might seem scary to some, but really this is an exciting time for our program to mature with an extended timeline! Moving our fall event back elongates the time for our dancers, committee members, and generous supporters to do even more for our kids. Since the fall semester is considered more “free,” we can fully commit our time to recruitment, fundraising, and cause connection. We are also given the opportunity to be fully invested on Child Health Day; a special day where we ask members of our campus and community to commit their time and resources to fighting for the well being of our kids. Additionally, fall in Syracuse means FOOTBALL, and what better way to come together as a university family than by “canning” together to raise funds for the kids who are in the hospital and couldn’t make it to a game. 

As we transition from fall to spring fundraising, the season of giving conveniently sits in between the two. This is a peak time for our dancers to crowd source for fundraising opportunities. By the time we get back to campus, our dancers, committee members, supporters, and most importantly our miracle families, are already in the mindset to put on the best dance marathon around! With only having a short month of winter break instead of a longer summer one in between our big event, it is easier to prepare for the mountain of emails and logistics that will need to be dealt with before our big day. Running a dance marathon to its fullest extent requires a LOT of work, and it takes an army of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. There are weeks of preparation and triple digit hours worth of details that can be completed easier on a spring-event-schedule. These are all crucial pieces needed to create a day equal to the effort made by our kids who are fighting in Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. 

Overall, the decision that was made to move OttoTHON to the spring semester will show its success in years to come. The journey to treating the needs of all our kids in Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital is long, and sometimes stressful, and all the time in the world matters when it comes to our VIPatients. But every second counts when we are fighting for the next generation. Changing one thing, the date, opened up the entire year for our organization. We now have more time to fundraise, to bond, to engage with our campus, to broadcast our mission, and to do all things for the kids!