NUDM 2015 to Benefit Starlight Children’s Foundation Midwest

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University students are preparing to raise funds throughout the 2014-15 academic year and dance for 30 consecutive hours next March for two worthy causes -- the Starlight Children’s Foundation Midwest and the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF). For more, visit www.nudm.org/.

In its 41st year, Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM) 2015 is scheduled for the weekend of March 6-8 at Norris University Center on the Evanston campus. It is one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the world. Since 1975, Northwestern students have raised more than $15 million for more than 30 different charities.

PRIMARY BENEFICIARY FOR 2015

• The Starlight Children’s Foundation Midwest, next year’s primary beneficiary, was founded in 1982 to help improve the health, life and spirits of chronically and critically ill children. By partnering with medical experts in inpatient and outpatient settings, the organization works to change the way pediatric medicine is delivered by improving patient experiences in and out of the hospital. Starlight works to build treatment rooms, teen lounges and playrooms -- dubbed “no white coat zones” -- to help critically and chronically ill children undergoing hospital treatment feel safe and connected. Starlight also funds and hosts therapeutic entertainment and education programs that provide opportunities for families to spend time together and support one another. With offices in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, Starlight aids children and families worldwide. For more information, visit www.starlight.org/midwest.

SECONDARY BENEFICIARY FOR 2015

• The Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) builds, connects and distributes resources and knowledge for the common good through local organizations. In March, Dance Marathon 2014 executive co-chairs Josh Parish and Anna Radoff presented a record-breaking check for $103,476.58 to ECF -- 10 percent of this year’s net proceeds. The increase allowed the foundation to continue upward growth in its grant making. For more, visit http://evanstonforever.org.

NUDM 2014

NUDM’s 40th anniversary was an historic year. The 2014 student-run event raised a record-breaking $1,385,273 in cash and in-kind donations for Team Joseph, a non-profit organization that funds cutting-edge research to find a treatment or cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal degenerative genetic muscle disease that affects 1 in 3,500 boys.

More than 1,000 Northwestern undergraduate students danced for 30 hours and 300-plus committee members, events throughout the year, and thousands of generous local and national donors, including alumni, helped support the 2014 fundraiser. As a result, the two Dance Marathon executive co-chairs also were able to present a check for $931,289.21 to Team Joseph founder Marissa Penrod. For more, visit www.teamjoseph.info.

NUDM 2013

NUDM 2013 broke records by raising a record $1.2 million in cash and in-kind donations. It supported the Danny Did Foundation, an organization that combats Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and the Evanston Community Foundation.