Northwestern University (IL) students literally dance the night away during the annual Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM), which celebrated its 50th year in 2024. It’s an event designed with two missions in mind: to raise funds for a chosen beneficiary and to engage the Northwestern community. The NUDM is one of the largest student-run philanthropy organizations in the U.S., according to The Daily Northwestern, and has raised over $23 million during its 50-year history for more than 40 different charities.
Participants dance for 15 hours during the NUDM. Two students are chosen to emcee the entire marathon to keep the energy alive. They apply for the honor.
Senior Kelsey Norton, who is the NUDM director of operations, told the paper that about 900 people signed up to dance during the 2024 event. “It was amazing to see so many students come out,” she said. “(These were) the best numbers we’ve had since COVID, which was really encouraging, and we had really high retention throughout the entire 15 hours.”
The event used to be 30 hours but was shortened after receiving student feedback. The NUDM also was scheduled during the first weekend of Spring Quarter when student workloads weren’t as heavy.
In 2024, the NUDM chose the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana as their primary beneficiary, raising $342,138 for the organization. The secondary beneficiary, receiving 10% of the proceeds, was the Evanston Community Foundation.
Approximately 50 to 100 organizations apply each year to be NUDM’s chosen beneficiary, reported Student Affairs’ News & Events.
Sources: The Daily Northwestern, 4/1/24; News & Events, Student Affairs, Northwestern University, 3/26/24; www.nudm.org
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