Updated as April 5, 2022 at 9:33 p.m. to include additional information about the event.
Elonthon raised a total of $134,364 for kids at Duke Children’s Hospital this weekend.
The 13.1-hour event raised 39% less than it did at its last fully in-person event in 2019. The total that year was nearly $350,000 and the event was 24 hours long.
Elon University junior Madison Federici is the director of facilities on Elonthon’s executive board. She said this year’s event was only 13.1 hours long so more people could attend.
“We did change it just so that we can have our miracle kids here for a longer period of time,” Federici said. “24 hours is a long period of time for four year olds, so we decided to be more inclusive. It's a long time for students as well. So we've got a little half marathon going on.”
Elon sophomore Aiden Bradshaw attended Elonthon with her sorority Phi Mu. She said she was excited to meet the kids she connected with before the event.
“We get to write letters to these kids and interact with them from a distance, but we never get to hear their stories until Elonthon happens,” Bradshaw said. “Hearing their stories kind of gets me motivated to dance for all the kids and to raise money for them because they've had their hardships.”
The dance marathon was paired with games, food and a place to pie Elon faculty and staff for $5.
Federici said it meant a lot to her and the other executive staff members of Elonthon to see other campus organizations at the event to support the cause.
“We're really, really happy that people are here,” Federici said. “We're really grateful for this opportunity to raise money for Duke Children's [Hospital]. We love them. They're so amazing. We love all of our kids shout out to them.”
The dancing may be over, but donations continue to be accepted for children at elonthon.com. Donations made after the event will not be counted in the Elonthon fundraising total, but it will go to Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center.