Above: Members of SAU Dance Marathon bust a move at this year’s Big Event. Photo courtesy of Addie Hendrick.
It’s a 13-hour marathon finish line. On Saturday, April 5th, many members of the St. Ambrose community gathered in the Rogalski Center from 10 am on Saturday, April 5th, to just after midnight on Sunday, April 6th, 2025. Every Spring, SAU’s Dance Marathon holds its Big Event.
Transfer student and junior, Makayla Duda, says, “Big Event is basically like the finish line. It is a full-day event that features several of our miracle families. I joined because I wanted some way to get involved on campus, especially as a transfer student.”
Similar to Push Day, it’s an event to celebrate the survivors and to remember the children who unfortunately passed away from various illnesses.
SAU Dance Marathon organizers say they are raising funds for the University of Iowa’s Stead Children’s Hospital, particularly focusing on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit this year. The money raised from Dance Marathon can help provide medical care for ill or premature babies.
Proceeds also support families who need meals while in the hospital for long periods; a struggle that is often overlooked.
Located mainly in the Rogalski Center Ballroom, Big Event had many different stations and events throughout the day, in addition to just dancing. Sophomore education major Faith Foley says, “The overall day was very fun. We had laser tag, face painting, caricatures, hair tinsel, lots and lots of dancing, good food, and an overall amazing day!”
On the same note, Duda continues by saying “[Big Event] was a lot of fun. I played laser tag and enjoyed Zumba. I think my favorite moment was learning about one of my family’s stories. Their family lost their daughter to cancer, and it was heartbreaking, yet an amazing and meaningful story to hear.”
There were just over 100 dancers this year, making it the lowest number of any Dance Marathon group at SAU. Despite this, St. Ambrose welcomed 61 miracle families, the highest number of families in Dance Marathon’s program.
Foley continues by saying, “The miracle families all love Big Event. All of them state that it’s the best day of the year. It’s also the best day for the dancers as well.”
At the end of the night, Dance Marathon finishes with a big reveal of how much they have raised. Duda says, “I’ve sent countless emails and messages to friends, family, and professors. I have also set up a Facebook Donor Drive for people to give money there.”
Similarly, Foley says, “I [also] reached out to everyone that I knew. I also went canning.” Unlike Push Day, members of Dance Marathon won’t know how much they have raised until the end. Shortly after midnight, everybody met on the bottom floor of the Rogalski Center. It was revealed that St. Ambrose had raised $180,614.32, $12,216.80 less than what they had raised last year.
Brynn Christian is a staff writer for The Buzz.
