The high school network for DemonTHON and for the Children’s Miracle Network as a whole is an integral part in raising funds for the kids! In the past DePaul has partnered with several high schools in the greater Chicagoland area such as Coal City High School, West Aurora High School, and Barrington High School. The time, dedication and effort these kids put into Dance Marathon is truly remarkable to see and brings me such hope for the future of these programs.
The structure of the high school programs is very similar to that of the structure of DemonTHON. The board of students work tirelessly throughout the year to raise funds through different fundraising events such as “eat-and-earns”, poinsettia sales, local store raffle baskets, and a variety of other unique ways to benefit the organization.
This year, Barrington High School hopes to have a socially distant, masked-up, outdoor event in early May as a means of keeping the sense of community within their own dance marathon, as well as provide “new” means of fundraising which have been difficult to do within the past year for safety reasons. If you are or know any high school aged kid, let them know about getting involved (or creating) their schools own dance marathon, it is a great way of building community and getting involved!
Although I cannot reveal the total amount of funds raised, I am so incredibly proud of each and every person participating in this year’s event! I know the circumstances look very different from years past, but these kids took what they were given and ran with it! If you have any further questions, comments or ideas feel free to contact me at demonthon.highschool@gmail.com, and I would be happy to hear what you have to say!