OHIO community ready to boogie for a good cause at BobcaThon 2019
OHIO students teach BobcaThon participants line dances during the organization’s 2017 dance marathon. This year’s BobcaThon 12-hour dance marathon will be held Feb. 16.
Strap on your dancing shoes, Bobcats! It’s time to boogie for a good cause and in celebration of giving to a good cause.
Ohio University’s fifth annual BobcaThon 12-hour dance marathon will be held Saturday, Feb. 16, in the Baker University Center Ballroom.
A year-long, student-run fundraiser, BobcaThon benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, a nonprofit providing families—including members of the Ohio University community—with housing, meals and other assistance while their children battle serious illness at Columbus-area hospitals.
Launched in 2014, BobcaThon is a campus-wide cause, committed not only to raising funds for RMHC of Central Ohio but also to creating awareness for children with serious illness and their families.
“Our mission is to kind of bridge the gap between the Athens community campus and the Ronald McDonald House because a lot of families in Athens utilize the Central Ohio (location),” BobcaThon President Courtney Homan, BSC ’19.
Over the past five years, BobcaThon has raised more than $233,000, helping RMHC of Central Ohio to provide its services free of charge. The 2018 event raised a record $100,000, and BobcaThon 2019 aims to top that.
“We’ve been having a steady growth,” Brianna Agner, BobcaThon’s adviser, said. “It felt like it wasn’t going as fast as we wanted to, but we found out we’re $10,000 higher than we were last year.”
BobcaThon members have been busy throughout the year finding creative ways to raise funds and educate the greater community. In addition to partnering with local businesses who donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause, BobcaThon fundraisers have included student comedy shows and the Dads Weekend Pancake Breakfast.
On Jan. 30 at 5 p.m., the BobcaThon team will kick off its $7K in a Day fundraising event. This 24-hour event encourages dancers and donors to raise $7,000 in one day. The organization will be selling Texas Roadhouse rolls and hosting a community night dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Athens.
BobcaThon, both the fundraising and the dance marathon, is open to all OHIO students, employees, alumni and members of the local community. Efforts to engage OHIO alumni are expected to pick up in the coming months and years as the Bobcats who began the fundraiser are now recent graduates. BobcaThon students have created a Facebook group for BobcaThon alumni to keep these OHIO graduates connected not only with each other but also with the cause.
There are more than 500 dancers registered for BobcaThon’s dance marathon, which will feature some special guests. Vice President for Student Affairs Jason Pina, Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones and Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the OHIO Alumni Association Erin Essak Kopp are expected to attend.
“I think it’s great for Ohio University to have something to be proud of. There’s so many things at OHIO to be proud of, and this philanthropic event helps so many people, local people and in the Columbus area and many more,” Agner said.
The BobcaThon 2019 dance marathon kicks off at noon Feb. 16. For the next 12 hours, dancers will stay on their feet—not just to celebrate the year’s success but as a physical reminder of the children and the families for whom they have been fundraising. In addition to learning line dances, playing games and engaging in some healthy competition, dancers will hear from families whose lives have been impacted by RMHC of Central Ohio. The evening will culminate with the news everyone has been waiting for: the total amount raised this year.
“The Ronald McDonald House is providing a home away from home for families who are obviously going through a very difficult and hard time,” Homan said. “Just being able to keep families together is something we all take for granted.”
For information on how you can get involved and support BobcaThon 2019—through a donation, by sponsoring a dancer, or by attending the dance marathon—visit the BobcaThon website.