This year’s event, which was held at Rupp Arena, began at 8 p.m. on Saturday and continued through the night and the majority of Sunday. Over 700 students from the UK participated in the 24-hour event, which raised $2,463,650.24 for the UK’s DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, according to the institution.
The sum exceeded both the previous record of $2.3 million and the amount from the previous year. Over $27 million has been raised for the clinic since DanceBlue’s founding in 2006.
“I’m overjoyed watching the reveal,” Bailey said. “It brings a deep sense of gratitude for the committee, the community and the clinic,” Josie Bailey, DanceBlue overall chair, said in a news release. “More than anything, it is meaningful knowing that the funds raised will directly support the kids and the clinic.”
The biggest student-run charity in the UK is called DanceBlue. It was made in Jarrett’s honor. Mynear was a clinic patient who passed away in 2002. Mynear’s last desire was to generate funds for the clinic’s improvement. Every penny that DancceBlue raises is used to support the clinic. The no-sitting, no-sleeping dancing marathon is the organization’s annual fundraising event.
“DanceBlue is so much more than a year-long fundraising effort that ends in a 24-hour marathon,” Morgan David, DanceBlue marketing chair, said in the news release. “It’s a community and a cause that changes people’s hearts and lives forever. There’s a reason ‘Joy Prevails,’ and it’s because we’re all in this together.”
