Even after more than 26 hours without access to chairs or beds, more than 650 UF students participating in Dance Marathon jumped to their feet at the sight of a six-digit figure this weekend.
Around 2 p.m. Sunday, shortly after being allowed to rest in a rainbow of cotton T-shirts on the O'Connell Center floor, dancers celebrated raising more than $427,000 for the Children's Miracle Network at Shands at UF Children's Hospital.
The figure tops last year's record-breaking amount of more than $370,000.
Mallory Ramos, UF's Dance Marathon spokeswoman, said community involvement at a kick-off barbecue and a February 5K race were large contributors to the final sum, not to mention the extravagant fundraising of participants.
"We've been around for 14 years, so people are really starting to care about us," Ramos said.
The Kappa Delta Sorority and Kappa Sigma Fraternity were awarded the Miracle Cup, given to the team with the highest combination of spirit points and money raised. The red-shirted duo contributed almost $60,000 to UF's total.
Jillian Phipps, nursing junior and a coordinator of Kappa Delta's fundraising, said the sorority earned much of its money over the past six months from alumni donations and sponsorships collected by each of the sorority's 25 dancers.
Aside from raising almost $57,000 more than last year, this year's Dance Marathon was six hours shorter than the previous year, decreasing from 32 hours to 26.2 hours to match the span of a marathon in miles.
UF dancers could feel the difference.
Related LinksVideo: Dance Marathon
Dalissia Burke, microbiology senior and first-year dancer for Delta Gamma Sorority, said she never felt sleepy during the event, but her ankles started throbbing Sunday morning.
"I couldn't imagine doing 32 hours," Burke said. "I'm glad it was 26."
Themed hours occurred between speeches and line dances. Food, special dances and games were brought to the gym floor to coordinate with themes such as Harry Potter, "I Love New York" and intergalactic, which was second-year dancer Nolan Palermo's favorite.
"I saw one person dressed up in a robot-box costume. I thought that was pretty sweet," said Palermo, sophomore and dancer for Sigma Nu Fraternity.
He said it wasn't hard to stay awake because guest speakers from the Children's Miracle Network motivated him. Thirty-nine families who received aid from the Children's Miracle Network shared stories on stage for the participants.
Parents of one of the recipients, Lauren, who is the only survivor of triplets, said their daughter spent 89 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shands Children's Hospital after she was born. Her parents requested a round of "Happy Birthday" for the recent 8-year-old, and the crowd obliged.
After spending more than 24 hours on their feet, many students took advantage of the O'Connell Center's facilities to brush their teeth and change their clothes. Others didn't, but they said it didn't matter.
"I feel a little gross," said Callie Pitman, freshman and first-year dancer for Chi Omega Sorority. "But it was worth it, definitely."
