VSU Dance Marathon Presents Blazer-A-Thon Oct. 24

Community Invited to Participate, Support Area Miracle Children

VALDOSTA — Blazers of all ages are invited to “dance for those who can’t” when Valdosta State University hosts Blazer-A-Thon from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Student Union Ballroom.

Visitor admission is $10 per hour, or $5 per hour for VSU students. Children 12 years of age or younger are admitted free of charge with a participating adult.

Blazer-A-Thon proceeds will benefit Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Fla., a member of the Children’s Miracle Network’s alliance of premier hospitals for children. U.S. News and World Report ranked the facility among the top 50 pediatric hospitals in the nation.

A hospital within a hospital on the University of Florida Shands campus, Shands Children’s Hospital boasts 167 beds, including fully equipped pediatric and neonatal intensive care units. Its physicians provide the full spectrum of pediatric specialty services, treating children with everything from autoimmune disorders to brain tumors, chronic kidney disease to congenital heart disease, epilepsy to cancer, sleep disorders to seizures, spinal deformity to digestive diseases, diabetes to neurological disorders, and more.

Blazer-A-Thon activities include dancing, of course, and fun games like “annoying song” hour, sending a friend to jail, prize drawings, and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase vintage Blazer-A-Thon T-shirts and meet some of this area’s very own “miracle children.”

Blazer-A-Thon will kick off a new theme every three hours, beginning with TitleTown Spirit from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to show their school spirit by wearing the colors of their favorite high school, college, professional, or even little league teams. VSU’s Blaze is scheduled to make an appearance during this time period.

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Blazer-A-Thon theme will be Dancing Through The Decades, a perfect excuse for someone looking to dust off that poodle skirt, acid wash jacket, fringed flapper dress, zoot suit, etc. This will be followed by an opportunity to wear that child friendly Halloween costume a little early during the third theme, Haunted House of Miracles, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Blazer-A-Thon will conclude with Shands Superheroes from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Children in attendance who benefit from Children’s Miracle Network-funded programs and services will be recognized. Everyone is encouraged to come dressed as his or her favorite superhero, like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Thor, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Super Girl, or maybe a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. 

Blazer-A-Thon is the culmination of a year-round effort, led by VSU Dance Marathon Executive Board members, all of them students, to help save the lives of children battling life-threatening medical conditions. It is one of more than 400 Dance Marathon events across the United States — all designed to raise funds for a Children’s Miracle Network hospital.

Contact Nicole Newsom, overall director of VSU Dance Marathon, at vsudmdirector@gmail.com to learn more.

On the Web:

http://events.dancemarathon.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=706

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities. 

The story above demonstrates VSU's commitment to meeting the following goals: 

Goal 1: Recruit, retain, and graduate a quality, diverse student population and prepare students for roles as leaders in a global society.

Goal 3: Promote student, employee, alumni, retiree, and community engagement in our mission.

Goal 4: Foster an environment of creativity and scholarship.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/administration/planning/strategic-plan.php to learn more.