Hope Week Tabling for Big Red Thon
Natalie Brown
Big Red Thon is Cornell’s version of the nationwide Dance Marathon movement, benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Our specific hospital partner is Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, and 100% of the funds from the year-long campaign and dance marathon event go towards these pediatric patients. Throughout our ongoing partnership with Upstate Golisano, Thon works to not only help address the financial barriers for patients receiving excellent medical care, but also to maintain a semblance of a normal childhood for them, in spite of pediatric illness. For example, our funds help supply the school room at Upstate Golisano that is staffed by a K-12 teacher. By helping to fund the event, APO helps to both treat the physical needs of sick kids, and the emotional and social needs of children that are often unable to be addressed when finances are tight. The week leading up to Big Red Thon, known as Hope Week, is super important as one last registration push and to get campus hype for the event!
APO volunteers were an amazing help by being friendly faces in PSB and taking pictures with our photo frame. Each day had a different theme (Monday was make a friend and sign up for Thon together, Tuesday was post a Facebook Fundraiser, Wednesday was raising $3k #FTK, Thursday was “Why I Thon,” taking a picture with a whiteboard explaining reasons to dance, and Friday was dancer appreciation giveaways with raffles)! APO has been a wonderful co-sponsor all throughout Thon’s 5 years on campus, and the BRT E-board works really closely with APO–containing a lot of dedicated brothers itself. Hope Week was a great time to help highlight all of the work done on campus so far to unite the community and was super helpful in terms of awareness, getting the name out there, and getting people excited!
