Trang Dinh is the 2022-2023 E-Writing Subchair. 

This year's Dance Marathon was definitely one for the books! We also celebrated our 25th anniversary and are so excited to announce that we raised a total of $290,519.61 this year! This would not have been possible without our amazing executive board, subchairs, and committee members. 

This year was my second Dance Marathon and I cannot wait for next year again! I had to much fun dancing, singing karaoke, watching all the school performances, and listening to our impact during family hour! It was inspiring and truly rewarding to see our dedication and hard work affecting someone's lives positively! 

Everyone worked so hard this year and I wanted to give a personal shout out to our amazing Public Relations chair Chad, my committee, and my subcommittee for everything! 

We have helped the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill through funding and preparing meals, organizing donation drives, and through other grants towards additions, maintenance, and expansion of the House for many years! On Thursday, March 9th, two other committee members joined me in preparing dinner for the house. It was Taco Night with all the delicious sides: beans, corn, etc. and having chocolate chip cookies for dessert! I was on baking duty, while the others were making the tacos and preparing the sides. After two and half hours, we had prepared forty-five to-go dinner boxes for the house. It was definitely a learning experience, since I did not know about the organization before, and I cannot wait to do it again! ​

The time is almost here everyone! Dance Marathon 2023 is a day away and we cannot wait to see our year’s efforts come into play. The executive, subchair, and subcommittees of CFTK have been working tirelessly all year to raise as much money as we can for the patients and families of UNC Children’s Hospital. We want to acknowledge all that they go through and we are dedicated to stand for 12 hours for the kids!

That being said, we created a little survival list for all attendees! 

• Bring comfy clothes and an extra pair! (Trust us on this one, there’s nothing like changing into a new pair of shoes after standing for hours.) 
• Bring any medications you may have
• Bring warm clothes! It’s better to pack more just in case you get chilly! 
• Get a FULL night of sleep 
• Be open to talk to new people! (You’ll be sure to make a new friend by the end of the night.) 
• Come in with a positive attitude! 
• Hair ties 
• Expect to get out of your comfort zone (or not if you don’t want to) but dancing and singing karaoke on stage is not scary, we promise. 

We cannot wait to meet everyone on Saturday and let’s have another successful Dance Marathon, HOORAY! 

Also personal shout out to my committee, Public Relations and the other committee Organizational Donations! Team Grammys is going to WIN. 

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Whenever I tell people that I am participating in UNC’s Dance Marathon, I think they picture me spinning around the dance floor for 12 straight hours, busting out my best dance moves until I drop. Fortunately for me, and others who are choreographically challenged, this is not what Dance Marathon actually is.
 
Dance Marathon (DM) is simultaneously the biggest annual event for CFTK and a celebration of a year’s worth of hard work fundraising for a good cause. Committee members and dancers stand for 12 hours to show their support for the patients and families and UNC Children’s Hospital. And while there’s some dancing (last year, Zumba was my personal favorite activity), this is far from all that is happening at DM. There are games like flag football and capture the flag, activities like bracelet making and coloring, fun visits from furry friends (last year hedgehogs…this year I’ve heard rumor of puppies!). There are many UNC student performance groups who come to show off their craft – from singing to jumping rope to magic tricks. There are raffles throughout the night to look forward to. We will partake in a sunset walk to Kenan Stadium to enjoy the beautiful view and have some outdoor activities on the field. Of course, let’s not forget about the food: meals and treats of plentiful variety are provided throughout DM, with food coming from some of our favorite local restaurants. 
 
With all this going on, you (almost) won’t even notice that your feet hurt. Seriously, DM is a great time. The energy is incredible, and it is so heartwarming and exciting to be surrounded by so many passionate, motivated, generous people. I can’t wait to see you there this year!
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Today we are highlighting the Formal Affairs Committee and their tireless effort towards the
Benefit Reception. I spoke with Manuela, the head of Formal Affairs to learn all about it. Formal
Affairs is in charge of facilitating two events: the Benefit Reception and the Semi-Formal. This
committee can be described as a financial branch that works with community members.
Because the Benefit Reception is around the corner, I am going to highlight the behind the
scenes work the Formal Affairs Committee has been conducting all year and why the Benefit
Reception is crucial to CFTK.

The Benefit Reception is a live and silent auction for the community members of Chapel Hill.
The committee members spend months soliciting donations and raising awareness in our
community for the event. When choosing the location for the reception, the committee finds a
venue as close to campus as possible. This emphasizes the fact that the Benefit Reception is
student run and Carolina oriented. As the event nears, they start to send out the invitations, with
the first invites being sent out to presenting sponsors (community members who are donating
significant levels), and with the general invites following soon after.
The Benefit Reception differs from the other Carolina For The Kids events because it’s not
designed for students. Instead, it’s more of a professional setting. Because of this setting, CFTK
is able to maintain its connection and impact with the community. The Benefit Reception also
fits into CFTK’s mission and goals, as it is rooted in fundraising and shows how much of our
mission is community based.

Something special about the Benefit Reception is it honors the healthcare workers whose work
supports CFTK. During the reception, the Carolina For The Kids’ Excellence in Patient and
Family Care Award is given out to a physician, a nurse, and an auxiliary staff as a way to give
back to the staff of UNC Children’s. This award speaks to our mission and the people we cater
to at the Benefit Reception, as most of the attendees are physicians.
This year, the Benefit Reception will be held February 11th at The Graduate at 7 pm. Preparing
for it is a year-long effort for the Formal Affairs Committee.
If you would like to buy tickets to this event, click here..
For more information, please contact our Formal Affairs Chair, Manuela Uppalapati, at
formalaffairs@carolinaftk.org. ​

Olivia Welsh is a 2022-2023 Public Relations Committee Member. 

Two years ago, I remember running with my mom on our family’s farm to complete the first-ever virtual Kilometers For The Kids 5K and Fun Run. Due to the pandemic, I was living with my parents, doing school from home along with engaging in extracurricular activities via Zoom. One such activity was Carolina For The Kids, a club that I joined because I had once been a child getting treatment at UNC Children’s Hospital. At that point, I did not understand the scope of all that Carolina For the Kids did for patients and families; I was just running in KFTK because I was a member of the Operations Committee.














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Flash forward two years and I am back at school, still in Carolina For The Kids as the Operations Chair. I now understand the scope of all the CFTK does way more than I did then. When I am not doing homework or working at my job, I am planning out all the logistics of the 2022 Kilometers For The Kids 5K and Fun Run race series which is now hybrid with both an in-person and virtual component. At this point, I have spent about 5 months preparing for the race and now it is right around the corner with the in-person race taking place this Sunday, October 30th, bright and early at 7:30am.



​With the race being a mere three days away, I am more stressed out than ever with all the plans swimming around my head. Despite this, I am also buzzing with excitement and anxious energy at the community impact of this year’s race. Similar to past years, we will have food and beverage from a variety of past community sponsors such as Brandwein’s Bagel Company and new sponsors like Starbucks and Dunkin’. For the first time ever, we are going to have other community businesses set up tables at the event, advertising their services as official sponsors of KFTK 2022. Most of all, though, I am excited to see the turnout of runners, joggers, and walkers as they all come together in support of the patients and their families at UNC Children’s Hospital. By turning out for the event, participants directly support our mission of providing support to patients and their families in order to ensure that kids can simply be kids!

Sign up for KFTK 2022 here:
https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/ChapelHill/CarolinaFortheKidsformerlyUNCDanceMarathon!

To register to be a dancer at Dance Marathon please fill out this form: ​Marathon Dancer Signup

Last week was Dancer Recruitment Week for the 2023 Dance Marathon, and as students strolled, speed-walked, or scootered through The Pit, they were flanked by smiling volunteers waving around colorful posters advertising Carolina for the Kids. All of our committee members donated some time to recruiting participants for the 25th anniversary Dance Marathon. 

The tried-and-true CFTK dancers from years past excitedly came up to scan the QR code and register for this year’s event, rehashing fun stories from previous events. Others approached more timidly – the first-year students anxious to join a club and wondering what CFTK stands for, and the people who want to join in for a good cause but are not quite sure about the whole “dancing” part (no dancing experience is required, we promise). After a little convincing (“No, really, 12 hours goes by faster than you would think!”), QR codes were scanned, free t-shirts were distributed, and the first step towards helping the children and families at UNC Children’s Hospital was taken.

We are so grateful for everyone who helped out with dancer recruitment and for all of the wonderful students who have already signed up to join us on March 25th for 12 hours of games and contests, music and food, friends and CFTK families. Every year, we are amazed and appreciative of this community’s commitment to relieving the financial stress and pressure that families experience with their children’s hospitalization. 

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In case you missed it, here is the Marathon Dancer Signup. Do it for the kids. ​