UNI Dance Marathon and The Tross Family Give $1 Million To Pediatric Epilepsy

Yesterday, UNI Dance Marathon held their ninth annual Big Event in Maucker Union. Over 650 University of Northern Iowa students stood on their feet for 12 straight hours, dancing with the kids and fundraising for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Miracle families attended the event, participated in the day-long festivities, and shared their stories. This year, UNI Dance Marathon raised $522,136.09, pushing their total contribution to the children’s hospital since the student organization’s beginning in 2012 to over $3.1 million.

During the 5 o’clock hour, the gong moved to the main stage for Fundraising Power Hour, where the it was hit once for every $10 raised. The gong rang over 1,300 times, followed by the cheers of dancers, community members, UNI faculty and staff, and miracle families.

After the fundraising total of over $522K was revealed, Nate Tross and his family presented a matching check to Dr. Alexander Bassuk and the U of I Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Together, UNI Dance Marathon and the Tross Family are donating $1,044,272 to fund pediatric epilepsy research.

We would like to extend a big thank you to sponsors who either donated money, time, food, or supplies for the day of the Dance Marathon, and would especially like to thank Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores for their generous grant. Without your help, the event would not have been as successful or exciting. We would also like to thank every single donor who made this fundraising total possible.

The University of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon is a non-profit student run organization that raises money for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, and the Children’s Miracle Network. We work to provide hope and comfort for families with children facing life-threatening illnesses and injuries by raising money and awareness.