Kalina MacKay is the 2020 Public Relations Chair

This weekend, we are launching our first ever fall fundraising campaign, F10K. We’re striving to raise $10,000 during the three days of homecoming weekend through benefit nights at local restaurants, canning at athletic events, and individual dancer fundraising. But to me, this weekend means so much more. 

I think it’s so easy for us to get lost in the numbers of a fundraising campaign like this, but F10K is symbolic of much more than the average fundraising campaign. F10K is an opportunity for all of us to take a breath and remember why we’re here - why we’re dedicating hours on end on top of our already busy lives to attend cannings, send countless emails, go to meetings, and paint posters.

The true reason why over 200 undergraduates at UNC all banned together this semester on 11 different committees and joined this organization is as simple as our organization’s slogan: for the kids. Those three words are more meaningful than I can begin to describe, and they share a special sense of inspiration for everyone involved in our organization.  

This weekend is a chance for all of us to come together and remember that slogan that drives all of our efforts. 
The average child goes to school and does their homework each weeknight. They go to sleep at bedtime and count down the seconds until the bell rings at Friday setting them free. For the three days of the weekend, kids are allowed to be kids. They get a break from the stressful day-in and day-out routine of school and work and get to just relax.

Kids at the hospital are not as fortunate. For 24 hours each day, they are fighting for their lives. They have no weekend to look forward to where they’ll get to go to the playground and blow off some steam. All day, every day is consumed by their illness, and sickness knows no weekends. 

That is the root of our F10K campaign. We are not mindlessly collecting money for some obscure foundation. We are banding together to make real change in the world. This campaign is a reminder of our overall mission, to allow kids in the hospital to be kids. 

As a group of undergrads at UNC, we may not be able to cure disease (yet), but we certainly can make a difference in the world. We can hope for a better future, and do everything in our power to achieve that. If we can take the patients of UNC Children’s’ minds off their suffering and allow them to be a child for just one moment, we have achieved our goal. 
In this weekend long fundraising campaign, we hope to give the children at the hospital their weekends back. No child or family should ever have to fight alone. Whether it’s through funding research grants that will change their future or volunteering in the Pediatric Playroom to temporarily distract from the pain, we are determined to make a difference.

At the end of the day, $10,000 will change so many lives. It will provide over 1,400 hot meals to parents in the hospital who don’t want to leave their child’s bedside, even if it’s to feed themselves. But no matter how much we raise, this campaign is a step in the right direction to joining the fight against childhood sickness. 

We invite all past and present Tar Heels to join us in our F10K campaign on October 25 - 27. For live updates and a full breakdown of the schedule, visit our Facebook event page. 

Thank you to the Chapel Hill community and beyond for continuously supporting our organization. Here’s to the children and their families served by UNC Children’s, together we will give them their weekends back.

Cheryl Phillips is the 2019 Newsletter Subchair

Carolina for the Kids recently held our 8th annual Kilometers for the Kids, and it was a huge success! We had 470 runners, which included UNC students, alumni, and others from our broader community. Among the special guests in attendance was Kevin Guskiewicz, the University of North Carolina Interim Chancellor! All of the funds raised at this event go to continue providing support for the patients and families at UNC Children’s.

We caught up with one of the participants before the race to capture the perspective of a runner and their pre-race mindsets. Andrew Guiteras lives in the local community and had never competed in KFTK, but was excited for the opportunity to participate for what he considered an awesome cause. When asked about the mission of CFTK, Guiteras explained that he was grateful to have two happy and healthy kids, one of which previously received an operation at UNC Childrens. He described them as a place that “does good work”, and said that he is “happy to support an organization that supports [the hospital]”. Spoiler alert, Guiteras went on to win in his age division!

KFTK does a great job of reminding us why we are here and why we do what we do. The impact that the families at UNC Children’s feel is immeasurable, and seeing so many smiling faces on a bright Sunday morning is an awesome reminder of the supportive community that surrounds this organization.

We want to say thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to anyone who came out to run in KFTK or showed support in any other way as well. All of us from Carolina for the Kids are so appreciative of you and the heart that we all share FTK.

Cheryl Phillips is the newsletter sub-chair for the PR committee

KFTK is a 5k race that raises funds in support of the children and families of NC Children’s Hospital. If you heard the word “race” and immediately turned your ears away, turn them back because I have a few reasons that will make you want to join in on the fun of KFTK! There is something for everyone at this event, whether you are a seasoned marathon runner or have never set foot on a treadmill.

1) Food

Our Sponsorship and Development committee works to ensure that there is plenty of tasty and filling food before and after the race. So come by early and grab a bagel, some coffee, and get ready to take on the 3.1 miles with your family and friends.

2) 1-Mile Fun Run

This shorter run takes place around the quad of McCorkle place. This is a perfect, shorter path for kids (or anyone who just does not want to tackle the whole 5k). It even has “fun” in the name, so it is undeniably going to be a perfect way to kick off your Sunday morning.

3) Superheroes and Princesses

Yes, you read that right. KFTK has earned the support of our Kid Co Captain’s favorite characters, including princesses that came out in 2018 alongside our KCCs. Some of our runners get into the spirit of fun even more, running in superhero capes as a reminder of the hero in us all and the difference we can make through KFTK.

4) The Most Beautiful Campus Ever

KFTK takes place across the campus of UNC. Start and end at the Old Well for a picture perfect finish that simply cannot be beat. Throughout the run, there are beautiful sights all around, including the bell tower, the Carolina Inn, and even our awesome athletic facilities and stadiums. You won’t want to miss a second of it.

5) Furry Friends Invited Too!

We invite all of your friends and family to come out and join, even your furry family members! Dogs of all shapes and sizes can be spotted around the campus on Sunday morning, and who doesn’t love to start off their morning with a sweet puppy face?

So know that you know of all the awesome perks of KFTK, what are you waiting for? I speak for the entire CFTK family when I say that we can’t wait to see you out there on Sept. 22! Sign up today.

Cheryl Phillips is the Newsletter Subchair on the Public Relations Committee

Carolina for the Kids plays a huge role in the lives of the people involved in this organization. The work that is done to recruit members, organize a dance marathon, and stay true to the mission of supporting families and patients takes a lot of effort, but also teaches us so many useful life skills. 

The patients and families of UNC Children’s are not the only ones benefited by our work. We, the students, get a lot out of giving back. This organization is an opportunity for us to gain real world experience in turn teaching us things a classroom can’t. On top of the rewards of giving back and meeting friends, CFTK builds invaluable character and leadership skills. 

Many CFTK members have had the chance to work a summer internship closely related to experience that they gained through working with CFTK. Mckenna Ritter, a member of the Public Relations committee, has been working as a Development Intern at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, assisting with donor relations, nonprofit management, and other media and development areas. She says that her experience with CFTK has no doubt played a role in her attaining this position and being able to do effective work this summer. 

While no one wants to even think about graduation and leaving this incredible school, some committee members have talked about the role that CFTK played in their getting a job after graduating. Marissa Devine was not only a Public Relations committee member, but also the Publicity chair for the 2018-2019 school year. She gained great leadership experience and learned about effective group-work through her CFTK experience, and is now working in New York as part of a marketing team for Deloitte.

In Marissa’s own words, “The amount of skills that I’ve gained from CFTK is unfathomable: leadership, teamwork, flexibility, time management, and organization...every one of these skills that I’ve gained from CFTK has been pivotal for my career”. 

Through time in CFTK as a committee member, subchair, or executive board member, our members are a part of a larger purpose and gain an understanding of what it means to work with so many amazing people to achieve great things.

If you’re interested in getting involved, apply to join one of our eleven committees tailored to your interests here or email info@carolinaftk.org for more details.

Sara Hall is a member of the 2019 Public Relations Committee.

On March 22 and 23, Carolina For The Kids stood for 24 hours in solidarity with the families and patients of UNC Children’s. These 24 hours of no sitting and no sleeping were a culmination of our year-long fundraising efforts, and we were so lucky to have hundreds of dancers join us.

From watching exceptional performances from some of our Kid Co-Captains  to listening to the lasting impact that CFTK has had on the families of UNC Children’s, these dancers were able to interact first-hand with the individuals who they were standing for.

Carolina For The Kids could not be more grateful for the support we’ve received throughout the year. To our committee members, our dancers, our sponsors, our volunteers and the countless individuals who donated: Thank you! This year would not have been the success that it was without your help. We were able to raise an amazing $440,955.07 that will go toward supporting families and patients in more ways than we can count. We are truly one of the luckiest organizations because we were given the opportunity to work with such incredible individuals. We are so proud of everything accomplished this year, and we cannot wait to see what next year and the 22nd Marathon will hold for us!

18 hours have now passed in the 2019 UNC Dance Marathon, and dancers are fighting through physical pain and mental exhaustion to support of the patients and families of UNC Children’s. As dancers make their way to the Marathon’s finish line, we wanted to know: what’s keeping them standing at this point in the Marathon?

One aspect that has helped many dancers keep standing has been the support of their friends, both old and new. First-years Julia Fish and Anna Herbert, for example have both made new friends over the course of this year’s Marathon – reflecting the power of the UNC Dance Marathon as a special bonding experience for those involved. Katie Otto, the Creative Media chair, also discussed the unifying nature of being a part of Carolina For The Kids; for Katie, “the support of [her] CFTK family” has driven her to keep standing throughout this year’s Dance Marathon.

Nevertheless, more than any other element, the cause is the primary motivating factor for dancers to keep standing over the course of the Marathon. First-years Cassie Beddick and Ellie Moran described the “socially impactful reward” of supporting the patients and families of UNC Children’s through their fundraising efforts and their participation in the UNC Dance Marathon, while Katie Otto was looking forward to hearing the families share their stories during Family Hour and see the Total Reveal at the Marathon’s conclusion – the financial figure that represents the impact will continue to make in the lives of the patients and families of UNC Children’s. However, junior McKenna Ritter summed up the role of the cause for dancers perfectly: “it’s all For The Kids.”

In summary, dancers at the 2019 UNC Dance Marathon have maintained their resolve to keep standing in the face of adversity largely due to the power of the cause that CFTK represents and the camaraderie that they have developed with their fellow Marathon participants. We hope that this resolve continues through the final 6 hours of the UNC Dance Marathon!

Nicole Welshe is a member of the 2019 Public Relations Committee

​The evening started with performances by a cappella groups such as the Achordants, UNC Cadence, and others who volunteered their time to perform for the dancers. Additionally, UNC Jump Rope appeared and wowed students.

Cheryl Phillips is a member of the 2019 Public Relations Committee.

The 2019 24-hour Dance Marathon is officially underway, and our dancers are ready for the many hours ahead, all For The Kids. However, preparations for the marathon began long before the dancers even arrived. While fundraising and planning have been going on for months, the physical set-up of Fetzer gym began at 5 pm on Thursday evening. At this time, the production team arrived and the gym began to be transformed. The main stage was one of the first projects to tackle, and the crew wasted no time, unloading the truck of supplies and setting up framework for the site of multiple a capella performances, dances and later, the KCC talent show. At the same time, members from multiple committees arrived to decorate the gym space with colorful banners to brighten up and make Fetzer look fun. Every Saturday since last semester, CFTK members have gotten together to hand-paint these beautiful banners, all in preparation for this one, huge day.

Setup also included many tasks that may seem small, but all add up to allow the marathon to function and run smoothly. Committee members taped banners, blew up balloons, set up tables and prepped the downstairs area for dancers to get work done or just relax away from all the excitement for a moment. Marathon setup required the time and effort of every committee member, but could not have happened without the executive board. The board members devoted time to every setup shift to direct committee members and make sure setup functioned as efficiently as possible. Without them, the marathon would not be possible. All the work that was put in during setup was vital to turning Fetzer gym into a storybook-perfect setting for the 21st UNC Dance Marathon FTK!