For four years, Aggie Miracle has devoted its efforts to raising awareness for McLane Children’s Hospital, a part of the national Children’s Miracle Network.
Aggie Dance Marathon (ADM) will be held this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Student Rec Center. In addition to dancing, the marathon will include opportunities to hear stories from each of the children being sponsored by this year’s marathon.
ADM began as Aggie Belles’s main philanthropy event in 2014. In 2017, Aggie Miracle was created to devote specific attention to raising awareness and funds for the event throughout the year. This is done through outreach to other campus organizations, giving things out around campus and putting on an awareness week.
Jorja Vela, co-chair of campus engagement for Aggie Miracle and kinesiology sophomore, said interacting with the children is one of the most important things participants can do.
“There are so many places you could put your service and your money,” Vela said. “When I went last year, just seeing all the potential in one child and how much one child can impact a room full of college kids — I get goosebumps thinking about that.”
Aggie Miracle has raised over $660,000 for McLane Children’s Hospital, according to their website. Executive Director of Aggie Miracle Allison Bryant, allied health senior, said the organization works with a representative from McLane’s each year to facilitate with families throughout the year. Bryant said ADM fundraises for both new families and families who have been a part of Aggie Miracle since its beginnings in 2014.
“We think about these kids in everything we do,” Bryant said. “Every week during our meetings we try to remember, even though this week may be hard, think about how when Maya was in the NIC unit and how hard it was for her. You’re part of something that’s much bigger than you, and you see that in every single thing that you do.”
Emily Gill, geographic information sciences and technology sophomore, said this is her second year participating in ADM. She is motivated to get more involved this year and raise more money after seeing how important the event was when she attended last year.
“I love ADM because you can see the true joy on the kids’ faces when they get to spend a day with people who treat them so kindly and so enthusiastically,” Gill said. “It’s incredibly fulfilling when you get to see where your money actually goes. You get to see the change you are enacting yourself, and I think that is very unique to ADM.”
Vela said she never planned on becoming involved with ADM, but after she showed up to last year’s event she discovered an opportunity for her to fulfil her passion of fighting for people who can’t win on their own.
“You’re harvesting a miracle that will shape a generation,” Vela said. “I can tell you all about what Dance Marathon is, but until you choose to open your heart and open your mind to going, you’ll never fully fathom how monumental these moments are.”