One of the University’s largest student-led philanthropic organizations, IlliniThon, held its annual Dance Marathon this past weekend. The group ended its year of fundraising with $80,794.43 raised for St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois.
Each year, IlliniThon hosts events to engage University students with families from St. John’s Hospital. The events celebrate the families’ stories and raise money for pediatric care. The year of fundraising culminates in a 10-hour event — the Dance Marathon. Though the event’s name is “Dance Marathon,” the participants don’t spend the entire time dancing.
“A lot of people think you have to dance the whole time,” said Abby Chute, IlliniThon president and senior in AHS. “You really don’t. Most of the time you’re probably running around, hanging with the kids or playing different games.”
IlliniThon is a part of the Miracle Network Dance Marathon, which is a national program that connects universities to a nearby children’s hospital. IlliniThon has been paired with St. John’s Hospital since the organization was founded in 2007. Its funds support critical units in the hospital, such as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
According to Chute, when visiting the hospital, she saw what IlliniThon’s money went toward.
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“You see little things like our name everywhere, which is really cool — they show you that this is what you helped to build,” Chute said.
One highlight of the Dance Marathon event is the presence of Miracle Kids.
“A Miracle Kid is a kid who has been through St. John’s Children’s Hospital — they were born in St. John’s, got treated at St. John’s and have been able to get treatment from the hospital,” said Cate McCarty, external vice president for IlliniThon and a senior in LAS.
Throughout the event, each Miracle Kid has a chance to go on stage and tell their story, inspiring others who may be in a similar situation.
“Hearing these kids’ stories and how much they’ve gone through — or are still going through — gives you a lot of perspective,” McCarty said.
Jayden McCandless, a sophomore at Springfield High School, has been a Miracle Kid with IlliniThon since around 2018. He was born with a three-quarters brain bleed and has grown up in St. John’s Hospital.
“In a world that can be so cruel, where you have people banning against your disability and against you, that can cause a lot of sadness and a lot of depression and a lot of anger while you have physical pain,” McCandless said. “Dance Marathon kind of bottles all that up for you with this big event with all these college kids making you feel like you are on cloud nine and making you feel like the happiest person alive.”
McCandless is also a passionate advocate for mental health, especially among disabled youth. He said that when he was struggling freshman year, members from IlliniThon joined him on a Zoom call and made him a video.
In the video, they were showing him he was “worthy,” and have continued to support him. They routinely invite him to tailgates, hockey games and events like Dance Marathon.
“I’ve been with IlliniThon through so much, and they’ve helped me through so much — it is so important to get involved for kids like me,” McCandless said. “I’m honestly in my prime era, and IlliniThon is only helping.”
With more than $80,000 raised this year, IlliniThon is a constant reminder of hope and determination that unites the University with children who have stories to share. As IlliniThon looks ahead, one thing is clear: The impact it makes extends far beyond the dance floor.
