Miracle Network Dance Marathon Announces Distinguished Leadership Award Recipients

Twenty Graduating Students Selected for Inaugural Honor

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#FTK—Miracle Network Dance Marathon has named 20 graduating college
student leaders as recipients of the inaugural Distinguished
Leadership Award. The honorees are being recognized for making an
exceptional impact within their Dance Marathon program, on their
individual campus and for their local Children’s Miracle Network
Hospital.

The collective efforts of Miracle Network Dance Marathon events have
raised nearly $180 million since 1991 for Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals, a nonprofit organization that raises funds and
awareness for 170 pediatric hospitals across North America. Each
year, hundreds of thousands of student dancers participate in
approximately 300 events at colleges and universities across the U.S.
and Canada, contributing to a movement that continues to grow in size
and dollars earned year over year.

The Miracle Network Dance Marathon 2017 Distinguished Leadership
Award Honorees are:

• Alaina
  Schukraft of Dallas, Penn. is graduating from Elon
  University. Alaina’s leadership of ELONTHON helped raise
  $351,554 on April 8, 2017, for Duke Children’s Hospital in Raleigh-Durham,
  N.C.
• Ashley
  Detherage of Indianapolis, Ind. is graduating from Vanderbilt
  University. Ashley’s leadership of Vanderbilt Dance Marathon
  helped raise $282,332 on March 25, 2017, for Monroe Carell Jr.
  Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn.
• Bailey
  Burns of Sugar Grove, Ill. is graduating from University
  of Illinois. Bailey’s leadership of IlliniThon helped raise
  $310,586 on April 1, 2017, for HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital
  in Springfield, Ill.
• Cat
  Edwards of Baltimore, Md. is graduating from Georgia
  Institute of Technology. Cat’s leadership of For the Kids
  at Georgia Tech helped to raise $211,228 on March 4, 2017, for Children’s
  Healthcare of Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga.
• Court
  Simmons of Philadelphia, Penn. is graduating from Saint
  Joseph’s University. Court’s leadership of Saint Joseph’s
  University Dance Marathon helped raise $27,648 for the Nov. 19,
  2016, event benefitting Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia,
  Penn.
• Daniel
  Vorwerk of Mediapolis, Iowa is graduating from University
  of Northern Iowa. Daniel’s leadership of UNI Dance Marathon
  helped raise $453,278 on March 4, 2017, for University of Iowa
  Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa.
• Drew
  Carlton of Sanibel, Fla. is graduating from University
  of Florida. Drew’s leadership of the Dance Marathon at the
  University of Florida helped to raise $2,724,324 from March 25-26,
  2017, for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville,
  Fla.
• Elizabeth
  Wilbur of Tulare, Calif. is graduating from California
  State University, Fullerton. Elizabeth’s leadership of TitanTHON
  helped raise $54,352 on March 4, 2017, for CHOC Children’s
  in Orange County, Calif.
• Grace
  Anshutz of Des Moines, Iowa is graduating from DePauw
  University. Grace’s leadership of DePauw Dance Marathon
  helped raise $89,186 on November 19, 2016, for Riley Hospital for
  Children in Indianapolis, Ind.
• Jacob
  Zawoysky of Alpharetta, Ga. is graduating from Georgia
  College. Jacob’s leadership of Georgia College Miracle
  helped raise $222,492 on April 1, 2017, for Children’s Hospital,
  Navicent Health in Macon, Ga.
• Julianne
  Putano of Toledo, Ohio is graduating from University
  of Toledo. Julianne’s leadership of RockeTHON: The University
  of Toledo’s Dance Marathon helped raise $153,707 on April 8, 2017,
  for Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.
• Kaiwei
  Hsu of Bethesda, Md. is graduating from University
  of Maryland. Kaiwei’s leadership of Terp Thon helped raise
  $1,001,394 on March 4, 2017, for Children’s National Health System
  in Washington, DC.
• Katherine
  Nahigian of Columbia, S.C. is graduating from Clemson
  University. Katherine’s leadership of Clemson Miracle
  helped raise $126,848 on April 1, 2017, for Greenville Health System
  in Greenville, S.C.
• Kelsey
  Torgerson of Tallahassee, Fla. is graduating from University
  of Florida. Kelsey’s leadership of Dance Marathon at the
  University of Florida helped raise $2,724,324 from March 25-26,
  2017, for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville,
  Fla.
• Kyle
  Barry of Plymouth, Ind. is graduating from Indiana
  Wesleyan University. Kyle’s leadership of Indiana Wesleyan
  University Dance Marathon helped raise $13,148 on March 24, 2017,
  for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Ind.
• Matt
  Garizio of Jacksonville, Fla. is graduating from Florida
  State University. Matt’s leadership of Dance Marathon at
  Florida State University helped to raise $1,830,167 from Feb.
  25-26, 2017, for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville,
  Fla.
• Natalie
  Weston of Grapevine, Texas is graduating from The
  University of Texas at Austin. Natalie’s leadership of Texas
  THON helped to raise $282,338 on March 5, 2017, for Dell
  Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin, Texas.
• Shelby
  Wells of Portland, Ore. is graduating from Gonzaga
  University. Shelby’s leadership of Gonzaga University Dance
  Marathon helped raise $76,592 on Feb. 11, 2017, for Sacred
  Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Wash.
• Sydney
  Read of Old Forge, Penn. is graduating from Temple
  University. Sydney’s leadership of HootaThon helped raise
  $404,074 on February 11, 2017, for Children’s Hospital of
  Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Penn.
• Whitney
  Coriolan of Worthington, Minn. is graduating from Creighton
  University. Whitney’s leadership of Creighton Dance Marathon
  has helped raise $47,847 so far this year for the Oct. 29, 2017, event
  benefitting Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha,
  Neb.

Together, these students raised $8.7-million across 20 events!

Miracle Network Dance Marathon is a movement founded 26 years ago at
Indiana University. The programs are student-run organizations that
operate throughout the year and culminate in a 6- to 48-hour Dance
Marathon event where students reveal and celebrate the year’s
fundraising total, participate in games and dancing and meet with
patient families treated at the local Children’s Miracle Network
Hospital.

“These student leaders are the core of Miracle Network Dance Marathon’s
mission,” said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals. “Each student honored has led his or her event to
success by serving as a role model for other students, while growing the
Dance Marathon movement on their campus. They are committed to the
cause, and have demonstrated that commitment through personal
fundraising and advocating for the life-saving work local children’s
hospitals engage in daily.”

Award recipients will receive a plaque recognizing outstanding
leadership, graduation honor cords, recognition on Dance Marathon social
media channels and on the CMN Hospitals website, in addition to releases
announcing the distinction to their respective university and local
media outlets.

For more information on the Miracle Network Dance Marathon program, or
to interview a Distinguished Leadership Award recipient, please contact
Brian Golden at Brian Golden at 757-620-5016 or Bgolden@cmnhospitals.org.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170
member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids
across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical
treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and
charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has
raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the
charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and
programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives
of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need
community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put
Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at CMNHospitals.org and
facebook.com/CMNHospitals.

Contacts

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Brian Golden, 757-620-5016
Bgolden@cmnhosptials.org
or
The
Summit Group Communications
Kirsta Albert, 435-640-1638
kalbert@summitslc.com