If you're a Rutgers student, if you have ever been to Rutgers, or if you don't live under a rock, you have probably at some point or another, come across the massive philanthropic initiative called Dance Marathon.

What was once the ambitious efforts from a group of Rutgers students back in 1971 to try and make a difference, blossomed dramatically into a University wide movement that has been running officially since 1999. Since then, Rutgers Dance Marathon has raised about 6.9 million dollars for the Embrace Kids Foundation to help families of children with serious health problems.

I was lucky enough to participate in DM this past weekend and the experience was, in a couple of words: nothing like I expected.

Going into it, I had a very minimal idea of what I was actually doing. When you donate to charity, when you volunteer to help people, etc, you always know you're doing something good. You can be sure that because of your actions, people will be better off. But you usually never get to personally view the actual effects or differences you're making. I was in that position, viewing the lives of the kids we were helping through the gossamer of unsure expectations and having only a slim idea of what was actually happening.

I started off that Saturday morning with a level of pep that I was determined wasn't going to be tarnished for any reason. I streaked silver glitter across my cheekbones and tied my sneaker laces tight. I had a large coffee set aside for moments of weakness and a ravenous appetite for dance. I was ready. My inner monologue went something like this:

Hour 1 - we got this. going strong.

Hour 1.5 - how has it only been 30 minutes since I last checked the time

Hour 1.75 - okay are the clocks playing a joke on me lol

By hour 2, I was already fading. But I knew I had to push through. It was #FTK (for the kids) after all.

What kept me going was the events they had planned. There were amazing performances from different organizations and groups that came up onto the DM stage and livened up all of us participants. Each one of them brought renewed energy into the crowded stadium.

Every single person there was there doing a selfless thing. A whole community was dancing together, fist-pumping together, even doing the Macarena together, for a cause bigger than itself.

And it was all to do the one thing humanity does better than any other species on this planet. The one thing that separates us from crocodiles and monkeys is our ability to ugly dance with each other to help overcome incredible obstacles.

Near the end, around Hour 8, I was dead on my feet. Everything started to look like chairs. Even people around me started looking like things to sit on. My eyes swam as I pictured my sorority sisters as upholstered leather couches, soft comfy beds, and even the sad stiff-backed Rutgers desk chairs. My tired legs would've been grateful for any of those things.

But then, something amazing happened. The families and the children from Embrace Kids walked down through the crowd as energetic music blasted. To actually see the positive outcomes and put a name and face to the lives being changed — that's something else entirely.The DJ hyped them up and they all walked, smiling, laughing, dancing, across the stage to chants of "FTK, FTK!" I wasn't thinking of my tired legs. I was just thinking about all of those beautiful families and adorable kids. There were several moments (which I'm not ashamed to admit,) when tears welled up in my eyes and I found myself being grateful to be apart of the experience.

When the final minutes ticked by and the event was coming to a gentle close, the closing ceremony started. One by one, people held up boards with the individual digits of how much money was raised. It happened moderately quickly but each second that a board went up felt like an hour and the anticipation was palpable. Finally, the last one was held up.

Cheers erupted from the crowd and there was an excitement and joy that can't really compare to anything. Like imagine the feeling of being a child on Christmas when you see the gift you've been wanting for so long. Except its something that humbles and lifts you because what's in front of you isn't a gift for you, it's a gift for people who need it more than you. And because of that you're just as excited. Multiply that excitement by 100 and that's what the energy of the crowd was like.

I left DM wide-eyed and brimming with that same energy.

I can passionately say that I can't wait to dance for RUDM next year because honestly, being on my feet for twelve hours straight had never felt so good.