On March 14, Danville High School hosted its third mini dance marathon. The mini marathon, which consisted of five hours of dancing, games, challenges and no sitting, raised $8,599.69—-beating last year’s total for the DanceBlue pediatric cancer clinic. The DanceBlue clinic is the pediatric cancer clinic and research center at the University of Kentucky’s hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.
According to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, only 4% of national funding for cancer research goes to pediatric care. DanceBlue hopes to increase support in the local community by spreading joy and awareness. In 2006, DanceBlue was founded to honor Jarrett Mynear’s final request: “Do something to help the clinic.” Mynear was a pediatric cancer patient at UK’s DanceBlue clinic who always brought an optimistic light to the clinic, and sadly passed away in 2006. Since then over $23 million has been raised to support the clinic.
Every year, all across the state of Kentucky, you can find marathons (a full 24 hours of dancing, games, challenges and no sitting) and mini marathons (the five-hour version) raising money for upgrades in the clinic, new toys, research and more.
This is especially important in Kentucky because in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Kentucky had the highest death rate due to cancer in the United States. Cancer is the second highest cause of death in Kentucky,after heart disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, Kentucky also has a higher rate of cancer in people under the age of 20 compared to the national average.
DanceBlue has had a lasting impact on clients, families, and the general community. Many families who had children there say that they still remember the support of the clinic decades later. It brings awareness to childhood cancer while allowing it to be an upbeat way of fundraising and celebrating every battle won. Their slogan is, “Joy Prevails!”
This year the hour themes at Danville’s DanceBlue were:
- Hour 1 – Learning the Dance
- Hour 2 – Olympics
- Hour 3 – Dress to Impress
- Hour 4 – Circus
- Hour 5 – Toy Story + Reveal
(Madelyn Kernen)
With challenges such as a fashion competition, human Hungry Hungry Hippos, sports competitions, three-legged races and more, there’s never a dull moment.
Emilee Beauman is a senior who organized this year’s mini marathon and last year’s.
“It’s really special to me because my sister goes to the DanceBlue Clinic, and I know a lot of other kids that go. I just love the impact, and I think it’s important to let all of the community know about it. That’s why I wanted to have one at my school.”
She said her favorite part is doing the dance because she has fun during it and likes to see how supportive everyone else is.
Maria Wanderley is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky and a DanceBlue mini marathon coordinator.
“DanceBlue means to me —it’s joy and it’s hope and it’s being optimistic in the light of such a dark diagnosis, giving kids hope that someday there will be a cure against pediatric cancer,” Wanderley said.
She said she appreciates how the community works together toward a common goal.
“For me it’s about a community standing together against such a difficult cause and such a difficult diagnosis, in hope that one day we won’t have to dance anymore,” she said.
When asked what DanceBlue meant to them, this is what some Danville High School students said:
“For me, DanceBlue is just a fun time to hang out with my friends, but it also has meaning”
“DanceBlue is a time where all of us can get together for a good cause and really do something about it.”
“I know people that have been personally affected by childhood cancer and DanceBlue was a really great organization for all of them.”
“It means joy, happiness, and bringing people together and being able to live a happy and healthy life.”
Other ways to support DanceBlue if you were unable to attend this year or want to create more of an impact are:
- Buying tickets for a marathon or mini marathon regardless of if you can go
- Donating directly to DanceBlue
- Providing free food and drinks to the mini marathon
- Spreading the word
“Next year, I hope everybody shows up and shows out ‘cause it’s really fun,” Beauman said.
