The Union High School National Honor Society (UHS NHS) just finished planning and hosting its first ever “mini” Dance Marathon event in partnership with the University of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon. The UNI Dance Marathon strives to provide hope and comfort for families with children facing life threatening illnesses by raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and hosting events that heighten student and community awareness. All proceeds stay local which benefits the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.

The UHS NHS has been planning this large-scale service event since mid-November. The event originally scheduled for Friday, February 28, got rescheduled to March 7 due to weather. The “mini” event ran for six hours and students were not allowed to sit as it was their motto, “Too Legit to Sit.” The Dance Marathon was open to all high school students.

To start the event off, UHS football coach Chadd Johnson, his wife, Jennifer, and their two children provided a personal message and video about how the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital and Dance Marathon helped their family when their oldest was born premature. Their family stayed and helped celebrate for the entirety of the “mini” event. Not only was the night filled with dancing, but also ping pong tables, a dodgeball tournament, Twister, limbo, “Minute-to-Win-It” games, and a card-making room for the kids being treated at the Children’s Hospital. Food was also provided to students with their admission.

UHS NHS donated $1,576.90 to the UNI Dance Marathon which surpassed their goal of $1,500. The majority of money came from the “mini” event but other fundraising throughout the past four months included bake sales at two high school athletic events and the selling and delivering of Candy Grams on Valentine’s Day. This donation was put towards the UNI Dance Marathon total raised of $176,498.03.

The Union High School National Honor wants to thank all the students and parents who donated to this great cause and showed up to dance the night away! Also, a very special “thank you” to those individuals and businesses that donated food, supplies, and money to this event: Wayne Gaston, Doug Bechthold, Tim Mitchell, Danny and Deenie Higgins, Terry’s Food Center of Dysart, LPC Connect (Telephone Co.), Farm Bureau Financial Services of La Porte City, Martin Bros., and Subway on La Porte Road.