Hello!
It is my honor to welcome you to the official website of IlliniThon, a Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. IlliniThon is a yearlong movement that raises funds and awareness for our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Our goals throughout the year are to ensure that the miracle kids receive the best medical care available and to create a future free of pediatric illness and injury. For 13 years and counting, thousands of students have come together as one generation fighting for the next, making IlliniThon the largest philanthropic student organization at the University of Illinois. This year-long effort culminates with our 12-hour dance marathon event in March. While this 12-hour dance marathon perfectly condenses months and months of work done by our Executive Board and Leadership Team into one “Big Event”, the impact of IlliniThon reaches far beyond the walls of the University’s Activity and Recreation Center from which it is held. The tremendous amount of work done by IlliniThon and its members touches the lives of miracle children and their families alike every single day of the year!
What IlliniThon is able to do for the Miracle Kiddos and families of St. John’s Children’s Hospital would not be possible without the generosity of students, donors, sponsors, alumni, and volunteers like you! In 2020-2021, a year like no other that was filled with uncertainties, IlliniThon raised $83,202.21 because Kids Can’t Wait! This amount has propelled our organization well above $1 million raised for our sole beneficiary, HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital. This amount of money will go on to make a difference in so many lives and we are so grateful for that. However, the bonds formed between our students, miracle children, and families have proven to go well beyond any monetary amount. With that in mind, I implore you to explore our website, get to know our executive board, peer into moments from our past events, see what is coming up in the future, and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. As Margaret Mead once said, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” Together, we can foster a future that betters the life of every child in Illinois.
On behalf of IlliniThon and the families of HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital, we thank you for your continued support; let’s all make IlliniThon 2022 our best year yet!
Kids Can’t Wait,
Daniel Caulfield
IlliniThon President