$1,510,036.39. That is how much my school raised for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital this year, and I have never been so proud to call myself a Buckeye at THE Ohio State University.
A 24-hour dance marathon, Buckeyethon, has been a staple event on the Ohio State campus for years, especially since I have been here. After only raising a few thousand dollars the first year, we have grown to raise over $1.5 million—an amazing statistic. In a ceremony For The Kids, Buckeyethon is a dance marathon that requires those participating to stand for 12 hour shifts in a 24 hour time period to raise awareness and money for pediatric research for children and teens that are struggling with cancer and other rare (and common) diseases: something they should not have to be dealing with. While Buckeyethon takes a lot out of you, you get more out of it in return. My greatest experience in college so far, Buckeyethon has provided me with more inspiration than anything I have been a part of before.
12 hours seems like a very long time. And while standing, it can seem that way once in a while. However, there are so many events that go on, it would be hard for anyone to not have a great time. From a dance floor with a DJ, to a station for arts and crafts and games like Catch Phrase, this marathon has everything you need to make it. Words cannot express how much fun it really is.The sad part? I probably would have never done it had it not been for some of the brothers of FIJI. Once again, Greek life showed up to make my college experience amazing. Doing this with my brothers did not just allow me to get to know what Ohio State stands for, but it also allowed me to know my brothers even better, something many of us may need to do. I became closer to my university. I also became closer to my fraternity.It was incredible to see the enthusiasm that each organization had as we all went through this journey. To know that every individual was there For The Kids was unbelievable. I cannot say I have ever seen such passion for a cause in my short lifetime. Also, knowing that every individual there supported you was a wonderful reassurance. We were all there to support those that do not deserve to have what they have. We were all there for one cause: For The Kids; we were not going to let ourselves stand in the way of doing something stellar.
Moments like these are the ones that make me grateful for the organizations that I am in and the university that I attend. Without FIJI, and Greek life in general, a lot of these events would not have been on my radar. But words cannot express how happy I am that they were. The Greek community has always had potential to do big things, but people need to take advantage of it. Something I may not have done in the past, I am now building up momentum to do it more in the future. Make sure you do things you love. Do something you are passionate about. In this case, I did it For The Kids.
