USD Dance Marathon student organizations raise money for medical care and other local charities
Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy in South Dakota, raised $50,300, March 23-24, with all proceeds donated to Sanford Children’s Castle of Care, the region’s only affiliate of Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, one of eight fraternities on the USD campus, donated more than $1,500 raised during its Paddy Murphy Week in March to Dance Marathon on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network. The Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity (PIKE), Kappa Pi Chapter at USD, was also active in making Dance Marathon a success, sponsoring two Miracle Children and contributing nearly $5,000 to the event.
“It was an amazing weekend and every child had a blast with the college students who participated,” said USD student Mandi Janicek of Omaha, Neb., overall chair of USD Dance Marathon. “We are so grateful for every participant, sponsor, donor, Morale Captain and family member involved with DM.”
In addition to raising money for Dance Marathon, PIKES Week of Service, Cycle for Life and Change for Change are three additional programs sponsored by the fraternity to help raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research as well as other local organizations. A summary of the activities includes:
- Week of Service, April 2-9. PIKE Members volunteered more than 1,100 hours to local charities such as the Vermillion Assisted Living Center, Beyond School Adventures, the Siouxland Food Bank, the Heartland Humane Society and PIKES in the Park.
- PIKE’s in the Park (April 4), an annual public event at Vermillion’s Prentis Park, and PIKE’s third annual Cycle for Life (Feb. 6) event at the USD Wellness Center helped raise more than $4,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation.
- Change for Change raised more than $360 for homeless shelters in Vermillion, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Sioux City, Iowa, as members of PIKE and USD sororities camped nightly in boxes on campus for an entire week.
Photographs and more information from these events are available at the “PIKE Week of Service” and the “PIKES in the Park” Facebook pages. For additional information about the USD chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha, please contact Brent Olinger at (605) 421-0272.
You May Also Like
Third Academic All-America honor for Duffy
AUSTIN, Texas — South Dakota senior guard Ciara Duffy was one of five Division I women's basketball players selected to the Academic All-America first team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Duffy earns Academic All-America honors for the third consecutive season.
Perfect Finish Coyotes beat Jacks for Summit crown
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — All five South Dakota starters scored in double-figures and the Coyotes completed perhaps the greatest regular season in Summit League history with a 63-58 win against rival and second-seeded South Dakota State in the tournament championship game Tuesday inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
