Stephanie Elkin said she’d eat a cheeseburger if she raised $2,000 for Dance Marathon. The decade-long vegetarian surpassed that goal by $250.
Elkin, a UF marketing sophomore, is one of hundreds of students focused on fundraising for this weekend’s 21st annual Dance Marathon, a 26.2-hourlong event benefiting UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Last year, 20-year-old Elkin donated 12 inches of her hair to make wigs for children who lost their hair in treatment.
“I ended up raising $2,000 and dyeing my hair to celebrate,” she said.
Eager to reach this year’s goal, she said she wanted to do something crazy. For her, that’s eating a burger.
Dance Marathon is usually held in April, but it will be from 11:20 a.m. Saturday to 1:20 p.m. Sunday to work around the Stephen C. O’Connell Center’s previous renovation schedule.
Melissa Dukes, the UF Dance Marathon public relations overall director, said 50 percent of the money raised will go toward research and treatment, and the other 50 percent will go toward new facilities and equipment.
She said there is no set goal of how much the organization hopes to raise.
“Every dollar is raised for the kids and goes to the kids,” Dukes said.
A vegetarian in support of animal rights, Elkin said she does not regret her decision. However, she will not be touching the cheeseburger until after the event.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 3/13/2015 under the headline “DM starts Saturday, continues unconventional traditions”]
