The Illini Dance Marathon has officially changed its name to IlliniThon to encourage more people to participate in this event.

“People had the misconception that you had to be able to dance to do Dance Marathon, and that’s not really what it’s only about,” said Kathryn Mirza, community relations representative for IlliniThon and senior in LAS. “It’s a charity event to support the kids.”

This year’s IlliniThon is scheduled for March 13, 2015 and will start at 8 p.m., said Alyssa Rawleigh, IlliniThon president and senior in Media.

Registration to participate is already open and there is a $5 discount on the $20 registration fee during October.

The group hopes to raise $200,000 at the upcoming IlliniThon, Rawleigh said.

The IlliniThon is an annual event held at the University to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network which directly benefits St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Mirza said.

Last year’s event took place at the ARC and had over 500 participants.

Bryan Boccelli and Miranda Holloway contributed to this report.