Christa Kabbes, a sophomore in Delta Zeta, showed the power of social media Thursday when she offered to donate $1 for every retweet and 50 cents for every favorite she got to IU Dance Marathon, which benefits Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. 

As of 8:30 p.m. Thursday, the tweet got more than 3,300 retweets and nearly 5,400 favorites.

Many IUDM participants use social media to spread awareness for the cause and ask for donations, and Kabbes said using Twitter on a Thursday was the best way to get as many people as possible to see her message.

"I did not think my tweet would get this response," Kabbes said. "I had seen people do it last year and this year and figured it would get at most a few hundred retweets, but I never expected anything like this. I don't think anyone would have!"

Kabbes said her parents offered to help but requested her to stop at $1,000. Enter Kilroy's on Kirkwood, who replied to Kabbes's tweet, offering to donate anything over that amount.

Within 10 minutes of KOK's offer, the tweet "blew up", Kabbes said.

"It's truly amazing that they are doing this and I can't thank them enough," she said. "I'm so thankful for everyone who is spreading this message around. It's amazing how much IUDM has an impact on the IU community as a whole. It's always amazing to see a huge community come together in such a selfless way."

For IUDM participants who have yet to reach their fundraising goals, Kabbes suggests being creative, using social media and reaching out to family and friends and their contacts.

"Just do everything you can, because you'll never know if something will work if you don't try it," she said. "Keep trying to raise 'til the very end. Whether you reach your total or not, never lose sight of what we are raising money for! Keep in mind that this 36 hours where we dance, laugh and cry is all FTK!"