EXEC LETTER: ELLIE BULLOCK

Christmas is known as the happiest time of the year. Families are reunited around the Christmas tree. Delicious food is eaten, and nobody worries about the weight they’ll gain. Santa comes to town, and smiles are found on every child’s face as they come downstairs to see the presents under the tree. Well, most children’s…. Some kids have to replace holiday food with hospital food, if they don’t have a feeding tube. Instead of laughing with family, some kids get IVs, surgeries, and shots to save their lives this Christmas. They don’t get to be at home with their Christmas tree and family. They don’t get to race down the stairs on Christmas morning to open presents. While we are comfy, warm and cozy, there are children fighting for their lives across the world. Christmas may be the happiest time of the year to some, but for some families, it can be the hardest. How do you put a smile on your face when you have a child in the hospital? How do you smile when your child doesn’t have another Christmas since they lost their battle with cancer? How do you afford to buy presents for your kids when hospital bills are coming your way? How do you stay positive when the road to recovery is so dark sometimes? This is who we are helping. These are the families that we support each and every day. They are why we are here. In a previous exec letter, Molly Smith wrote that Dance Marathon is a family, and it’s true. We’re a family of dancers, of miracles, of fighters. We dance and we stand for a cause that is bigger than us. We are fighting for the day when Christmas is the happiest time of the year for everyone. It’s not a coincidence that the happiest time of the year is simultaneous with the giving season. By giving to Dance Marathon, you are creating happiness, supporting our fighters, and becoming part of something bigger than yourself. So visit unidancemarathon.com and click the Donate button. Tell your friends and family to do it. Give to DM and feel good about yourself afterwards. Because when you give a donation, you are giving more than money; you are giving families hope in a time of darkness, and that is something that will never go away.