BOZEMAN — Montana State University students danced the night away Saturday to celebrate months of fundraising for the Shodair Children’s Hospital.
“We’re calling it Montanathon. It’s a student-led philanthropy event that benefits children at Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena battling mental illness and genetic disorders,” said organizer Katee Orr.
Shodair Children’s Hospital is the only Children's Miracle Network hospital in Montana.
For the second year in a row, Montana State University students organized a dance marathon to celebrate fundraising efforts and create more fundraising awareness.
Last year, students raised $31,000.
“75% of the patients that we serve currently are on Medicaid,” said Children’s Miracle Network Coordinator Becca Dudek. “So basically, what that means is every dollar that we charge, we only get reimbursed about 30 cents of the dollar. So because of that, philanthropy is critical for Shodair.”
Fundraising took place over the course of months. Students asked family and friends to donate to the cause and spread the word by sharing donation links on their social media pages.
A livestream of the dance marathon played for kids at the Shodair Children's Hospital to watch.
“We are extremely excited to be the beneficiary of the second annual dance marathon here at MSU. It’s really exciting for us to see the younger generation all coming together and who are just really passionate about giving back,” Dudek said.
Click here to learn more about Shodair Children's Hospital.
