On Saturday, Feb. 29, the ninth annual UNI Dance Marathon (UNI DM) “Big Event” was held in Maucker Union. According to a post on UNI DM’s “Miracle Blog” by Hannah Stater, a senior Communication and Interactive Digital studies major and director of marketing for UNI DM, “Over 650 University of Northern Iowa students stood on their feet for 12 straight hours, dancing with the kids and fundraising for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.”

Dance Marathon is the largest student organization on UNI’s campus. Since 2012, the organization has raised over $3.1 million for the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. This year, students raised $522,136.09. Once the fundraising total was announced, Nathan and Beth Tross of Highland Park, Ill., donated matching funds to the hospital.

“Together, UNI Dance Marathon and the Tross Family are donating $1,044,272 to fund pediatric epilepsy research,” Stater wrote.