Youth Supplement

Dancing with their hearts to give hope

For seven hours on a recent Sunday, nearly 300 high school students stayed on their feet and danced with their hearts to give hope to all the children who come to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo)

By Cassie Caccavo (Special to The Criterion)

For seven hours on a recent Sunday, nearly 300 high school students stayed on their feet and danced with their hearts to give hope to all the children who come to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

And when the Dance Marathon ended, the students from Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis didn’t think about how sore or tired they were. Instead, they roared with delight when they learned they had raised more than $29,000.

Just call it another example of youths putting their Catholic faith into action.

Bishop Chatard was one of the first high schools in Indiana to start a Dance Marathon that benefited Riley, according to Claire Lucas, a senior who co-chairs the promotions committee for the school’s annual event.

“Dance Marathon is a seven-hour dance party,” Claire said. “In return for the donations, dancers learn a line dance, play games, and listen to Riley kids and their families talk. None of the 300 dancers are allowed to sit unless they are eating.”

The fundraiser has also become a successful effort at Roncalli High School and Cathedral High School, both in Indianapolis.

“When I found out about Dance Marathon last year, I felt too passionate to not let it happen,” said Jake Ezell, a 2007 Roncalli graduate who started the event at the Indianapolis South Deanery high school. “I decided that I was going to put together a South Deanery Dance Marathon.”

That first effort raised about $10,000, similar to what Cathedral raised this fall.

“We had 200 dancers participate in the actual marathon,” said Quinn Ketterman, a senior at Cathedral and president of the school’s Dance Marathon. “The students come because they want to have fun for a good cause.”

Cathedral held their marathon on a Saturday night. While local school bands played during the five-hour marathon, students danced and played games through the night.

“We had a mini-dancing contest with some teachers who came and performed at our marathon,” Quinn said.

The student-run Dance Marathon at Bishop Chatard has raised more than $121,000 for Riley since the North Deanery high school started the event in 2000. Nearly half of the school’s students danced this year, earning almost $5,000 more than last year’s total.

“Our goal is to always raise one dollar more than the year before,” Claire Lucas said.

At Roncalli, Jake felt the importance of getting involved in Dance Marathon.

“I had been given so much, and there are ­children whose lives have yet to be lived and I had the ability to help out those children,” said Jake, now a freshman at Wabash College.

Teens say they get involved in these events because they want to make a difference and improve lives.

“The kids are what make me help out with the marathon,” Claire said about her involvement at Bishop Chatard. “I have been to Riley and have seen what these kids are dealing with. The marathon gives me a chance to help the kids who might not have had a chance.”

During the marathon, students have the opportunity to listen to children and parents whose lives have been touched at Riley.

Students at Bishop Chatard, Cathedral and Roncalli have raised more than $185,000 for Riley through the years. Anyone who wants to donate to Riley should visit its Web site at www.rileykids.org.

“It’s an incredible experience to see kids and their families raising money for other children and their families,” Claire said. “Getting involved in a cause I feel passionately about has inspired me to do more, and I know my classmates feel the same way.”

(Cassie Caccavo is a senior at Bishop Chatard High School and a member of St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis.) †