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Miracle Network Dance Marathon Announces Distinguished Leadership Award Recipients

Twenty Graduating College Seniors Selected for Inaugural Honor

SALT LAKE CITY (May 4, 2017) — Miracle Network Dance Marathon has named 20 graduating college student leaders as recipients of the inaugural Distinguished Leadership Award. The honorees are being recognized for making an exceptional impact within their Dance Marathon program, on their individual campus and for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

The collective efforts of Miracle Network Dance Marathon events have raised nearly $180 million since 1991 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a nonprofit organization that raises funds and awareness for 170 pediatric hospitals across North America. Each year, hundreds of thousands of student dancers participate in approximately 300 events at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada, contributing to a movement that continues to grow in size and dollars earned year over year.

The Miracle Network Dance Marathon 2017 Distinguished Leadership Award Honorees are:

  • Cat Edwards of Baltimore, Md. is graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology. Cat’s leadership of For the Kids at Georgia Tech helped to raise $211,228 on March 4, 2017, for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga.
  • Natalie Weston of Grapevine, Texas is graduating from The University of Texas at Austin. Natalie’s leadership of Texas THON helped to raise $282,338 on March 5, 2017, for Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin, Texas.
  • Drew Carlton of Sanibel, Fla. is graduating from University of Florida. Drew’s leadership of the Dance Marathon at the University of Florida helped to raise $2,724,324 from March 25-26, 2017, for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Fla.
  • Matt Garizio of Jacksonville, Fla. is graduating from Florida State University. Matt’s leadership of Dance Marathon at Florida State University helped to raise $1,830,167 from Feb. 25-26, 2017, for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Fla.
  • Kelsey Torgerson of Tallahassee, Fla. is graduating from University of Florida. Kelsey’s leadership of Dance Marathon at the University of Florida helped raise $2,724,324 from March 25-26, 2017, for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Fla.
  • Katherine Nahigian of Columbia, S.C. is graduating from Clemson University. Katherine’s leadership of Clemson Miracle helped raise $126,848 on April 1, 2017, for Greenville Health System in Greenville, S.C.
  • Grace Anshutz of Des Moines, Iowa is graduating from DePauw University. Grace’s leadership of DePauw Dance Marathon helped raise $89,186 on November 19, 2016, for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Ind.
  • Kyle Barry of Plymouth, Ind. is graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University. Kyle’s leadership of Indiana Wesleyan University Dance Marathon helped raise $13,148 on March 24, 2017, for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Ind.
  • Daniel Vorwerk of Mediapolis, Iowa is graduating from University of Northern Iowa. Daniel’s leadership of UNI Dance Marathon helped raise $453,278 on March 4, 2017, for University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa/Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
  • Jacob Zawoysky of Alpharetta, Ga. is graduating from Georgia College. Jacob’s leadership of Georgia College Miracle helped raise $222,492 on April 1, 2017, for Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health in Macon, Ga.
  • Ashley Detherage of Indianapolis, Ind. is graduating from Vanderbilt University. Ashley’s leadership of Vanderbilt Dance Marathon helped raise $282,332 on March 25, 2017, for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn.
  • Whitney Coriolan of Worthington, Minn. is graduating from Creighton University. Whitney’s leadership of Creighton Dance Marathon has helped raise $47,847 so far this year for the Oct. 29, 2017, event benefitting Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.
  • Elizabeth Wilbur of Tulare, Calif. is graduating from California State University, Fullerton. Elizabeth’s leadership of TitanTHON helped raise $54,352 on March 4, 2017, for CHOC Children’s in Orange County, Calif.
  • Sydney Read of Old Forge, Penn. is graduating from Temple University. Sydney’s leadership of HootaThon helped raise $404,074 on February 11, 2017, for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Penn.
  • Court Simmons of Philadelphia, Penn. is graduating from Saint Joseph’s University. Court’s leadership of Saint Joseph’s University Dance Marathon helped raise $27,648 on Nov. 19, 2016 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Penn.
  • Alaina Schukraft of Dallas, Penn. is graduating from Elon University. Alaina’s leadership of ELONTHON helped raise $351,554 on April 8, 2017, for Duke Children’s Hospital in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
  • Shelby Wells of Portland, Ore. is graduating from Gonzaga University. Shelby’s leadership of Gonzaga University Dance Marathon helped raise $76,592 on Feb. 11, 2017, for Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Wash.
  • Bailey Burns of Sugar Grove, Ill. is graduating from University of Illinois. Bailey’s leadership of IlliniThon helped raise $310,586 on April 1, 2017, for HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Ill.
  • Julianne Putano of Toledo, Ohio is graduating from University of Toledo. Julianne’s leadership of RockeTHON: The University of Toledo’s Dance Marathon helped raise $153,707 on April 8, 2017, for Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.
  • Kaiwei Hsu of Bethesda, Md. is graduating from University of Maryland. Kaiwei’s leadership of Terp Thon helped raise $1,001,394 on March 4, 2017, for Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC.

Together, these students raised nearly $11.4 million across 20 events!

Miracle Network Dance Marathon is a movement founded 26 years ago at Indiana University. The programs are student-run organizations that operate throughout the year and culminate in a 6- to 48-hour Dance Marathon event where students reveal and celebrate the year’s fundraising total, participate in games and dancing and meet with patient families treated at the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

“These student leaders are the core of Miracle Network Dance Marathon mission,” said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Each student honored has led his or her event to success by serving as a role model for other students, while growing the Dance Marathon movement on their campus. They are committed to the cause, and have demonstrated that commitment through personal fundraising and advocating for the life-saving work local children’s hospitals engage in daily.”

Award recipients will receive a plaque recognizing outstanding leadership, graduation honor cords, recognition on Dance Marathon social media channels and on the CMN Hospitals website, in addition to releases announcing the distinction to their respective university and local media outlets.

For more information on the Miracle Network Dance Marathon program, or to interview a Distinguished Leadership Award recipient, please contact Brian Golden at 757-620-5016, or bgolden@cmnhosptials.org.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.