Because I said I would.

Because I said I would.

These five words are pretty simple, but when you put them together, they are very powerful.

I’ve watched Alex Sheen’s Ted Talk on the social movement and nonprofit that he has created based on the act of keeping your promises many times-- and I like to make other people watch it too. (Just ask the Executive Board, Assistant Directors, Morale Captains, and All-Committee Members of UNI Dance Marathon 2018!) In his talk, Alex emphasizes the importance of doing what you say you’re going to do, which seems so simple, right? Sometimes it’s not as easy as that and you need someone or something to hold you accountable, and the organization because i said i would does just that.

This year, UNI Dance Marathon is adopting the 'because i said i would' way and not only making commitments, but promising to stick to them. Whether that means raising a certain (scary) amount of money, donating your hair, getting to know a new Miracle Family, or volunteering at extra events-- it means making a commitment to the heart of our organization: the kids. As an organization, we do absolutely everything with our Miracle Kiddos as our driving force. So this year we decided to not only make big commitments, but to make a promise to our kiddos and ourselves that we would do whatever it takes to stick with it.

Currently, there are around 560 promise cards waiting to be earned within the UNI Dance Marathon committees this year.

560 promises to be kept.

560 promises to help make miracles for our kiddos and their families.

560 different ways to make a mark for the kids.

“You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to show up.”