The past three weeks have been a blur of scholarship applications, creative writing contest submissions, essays, interviews, and meetings. Though I pretty much don't remember anything I have written or anything I said during my interviews due to a severe lack of sleep, I know my past two weekends were more than worth it.
For The Kids – Rutgers University Dance Marathon 2011
On April 2-3rd, I participated in New Jersey's largest student-run philanthropic event, Rutgers Dance Marathon. The purpose of the event is to raise money for the Embrace Kids Foundation, located close to the College Avenue campus. The event started at 10am on April 2nd, and ended at 6pm on April 3rd, and entailed everyone to stay on their feet for 32 hours straight, no sitting or sleeping, representative of the struggle the children of Embrace Kids have fighting cancer and blood disorders. After hearing so many great things about Dance Marathon when I attended Leadership Quest over the summer, I decided to apply to be the Captain of Arts and Crafts for the Marathon. There were times during the Marathon where I felt I could not stand any longer, and my feet had swelled up so much that I could not put them back into my sneakers, but for the last six hours of the Marathon, the kids we were supporting came out to join us—it was a reminder of why I worked the whole year for Dance Marathon, why I fundraised (and surpassed my goal of $400!) so much, and why I pledged to stand on my feet hours before, during, and after the Marathon... it was because so many of these children could not walk or even breathe for themselves. I helped two kids make disco balls, and they were not strong enough to hold glue in their fists or hold the two halves of Styrofoam semi-circles together until the glue dried. I had to pull the caps off of the markers for them and hold the ball steady as they drew on the balls. The entire time I felt my heart breaking a little bit because I take so much of my life for granted, and even though the entire experience was quite possibly the most painful thing I ever put myself through, it was absolutely FOR THE KIDS. Any time we felt discouraged by the long hours, we kept reminding ourselves it was all FTK. My friends, sorority sisters, and my parents came to visit me throughout the Marathon, which helped lift my spirits up :)
Set up the day before O_O bin valet was awful.
My arts and crafts table :) Gift bags!
Making disco balls!
Dream Catchers
Club DM! Halfway point of Dance Marathon.
Throwin' up fists for the adrenaline--totally forgot my feet were hurting for two hours!
The last six hours of the Marathon were the most challenging to get through, and as the final hour came by we grew anxious to know how much we had raised collectively FTK. We broke the record and raised $380,351.10!!! My feet were sore for days and I had to take an exam at 9:15am on that Monday, but I knew my efforts were worth it.
Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Rutgers Relay for Life 2011
This past weekend, I did Relay for Life with my sorority, Iota Sigma Beta. Relay for Life raises money for the American Cancer Society, and it is a twelve hour event in which each team has at least one member walking around the indoor course. We set up tents in the Sonny Werblin gym on Busch (where I had my Project Graduation!) Every hour was dedicated to a different cancer and there were a lot of activities to keep us motivated, like a hypnosis show and Zumba early in the morning. The most moving part of Relay for Life was the lap in between all the luminaries that were set up inside Werblin. Luminaries are bags that are meant to hold candles, and each bag is dedicated to a person who has died from or survived cancer. We each received a candle to place into an empty bag. For that lap, I thought about my friends who had survived cancer, and for my family members who had endured various other cancers. We supported each other with hugs as we walked the luminary lap. Rutgers University raised $60,000 to help the fight against cancer!
Ms. Relay - Drag Show!
Me and my Sisters :)
Afterwards, I took a two hour nap and left to go see American Idiot in the city! Billie Joe Armstrong was actually in it!!! And it was a great show that weaved Green Day's music together so well. Today is Rutgersfest, and I decided not to make the trek from Douglass all the way to Busch. I woke up with a sore throat from allergies and had rehearsal for Sacred Path (it's a Douglass College moving-up ceremony—I'm the speaker for the first year class!) and this weekend is a Boston adventure! Watching my love run a second marathon (because one is never enough, namean?) on Monday. Another weekend to remember :)
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