Get to Know Us
IlliniThon is a campus-wide student organization and the largest student-run philanthropy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As our campus’s Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Dance Marathon, our organization is a culmination of year-round fundraising and outreach efforts to support our partnered CMN Hospital, HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois.
Throughout the year, we also host a variety of engaging events on campus to educate, inspire, and connect students with our mission: to provide access to exceptional medical care to children in Central Illinois and create a future free from pediatric illness and injury For The Kids.
St. John’s Children’s Hospital is its region's only children’s hospital.
As home to the Springfield area's only Phase III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, St. John’s offers its smallest patients the highest level of infant care available.
St. John’s also houses a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, admitting nearly 500 patients each year, and runs an innovative Child Life Program that promotes medical play and education, procedural support, and holds special events to ensure both health and happiness during hospitalizations.​
"St. John's became our home.
Peyton wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for St. John’s Children’s Hospital, and we are forever grateful for the team of doctors who decided to give our triplets a chance at life when they were born on the edge of viability."​​​​
-Stacey, Peyton's Mom
Since our founding, we've raised over $2.35 million for St. John's Children's Hospital, but we can't do this alone!
We need your support to maintain our momentum and maximize our contribution For The Kids!
Every Donation Makes a Big Impact
One Bubble Parade
With $1, you ease a child's anxiety on the way to surgery with a bubble parade, bringing playfulness and cheer to a daunting situation.
$1
One Book
A $5 donation purchases one book for Joey's Classroom, a tutoring program to prevent academic regression during hospitalization.
$5
One Pair of
Pajama Pants
With $10, you comfort a child whose clothes had to be cut off in the emergency room with a pair of pajama pants.
$10
One Sleep Sack
The sleep sack funded by your donation provides warmth and security to infants at St. John's as they transition from swaddling to promote safe sleep.
$25
Two Walk-n-Rides
A $50 donation supplies two Playskool Walk-n-Rides, a toy that supports gross motor development toward major milestones, like a child's first steps!
$50
Two Weeks of Meals
With your donation, St. John's can provide two weeks of the free daily meals it offers parents throughout their child's hospitalization.
$75
One Rehab Swing
Your $100 donation purchases a swing used in occupational therapy to improve strength, coordination, and balance.
$100
One MamaRoo Chair
$250 funds this specialized seat that mimics the natural rhythm and motion of a parent holding a baby, making them feel safe and comfortable.
$250
Infant Positioning Aids
A donation of this amount supplies individualized positioning equipment to support premature infants' neuromuscular development.
$500
Child Life Services
With $1,000, you fund 5 days of the therapeutic play, age-appropriate medical education, and other services offered by the St. John's Child Life program.
$1000
Kangaroo Chair
Your $2,500 donation allows parents to hold their premature infant using a Kangaroo Chair, a seat specifically designed for safe skin-to-skin contact in
the NICU.
$2500
Donations in Use at
St. John's Children's Hospital:
59%
Advancement Services support hospital operations, investments, and development to improve care.
32%
Patient Services support the physical, mental, and emotional health of kids and families.
8%
Charitable Care provides free or
reduced-cost health services.
1%
Education for patients, families, healthcare providers, and communities.