Hello! 

 

It is my privilege and honor to welcome you to the official website of IlliniThon, the Miracle Network Dance Marathon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign! IlliniThon is a campus-wide movement that raises money and awareness for our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois. We work throughout the year to ensure that kids treated at St. John’s receive the best medical care available, while funding family support services, education, and developments in treatment. 

 

IlliniThon has a motto: Kids Can’t Wait. With this message, we emphasize the urgency of immediate treatment and ongoing advancements in pediatric healthcare. Kids only have one chance to be kids: to play, learn, and experience the joy and wonder that only kids can. Childhood is fleeting and precious, so kids can’t wait for action. For this reason, thousands of students have come together over nearly two decades, all united under this message, making IlliniThon the largest student-run philanthropic organization at the University of Illinois. Every donation that IlliniThon receives brings the remarkably resilient kids at St. John’s Children’s Hospital closer to a future free from pediatric illness and injury. For more birthdays, more first days of school, and more miracles to allow kids to reach more milestones, IlliniThon is proud to be part of this generation fighting for the next. 

 

The year-long efforts of our Executive Board, Leadership Team, and General Members culminate in our “Big Event” Dance Marathon each spring. For twelve hours, everyone involved in IlliniThon comes together to dance, fundraise, honor, and celebrate our 15 Miracle Kids, children who overcame serious health prognoses through their treatment at St. John’s Children's Hospital, and unveil our final fundraising total. At the Big Event, annual Hospital Retreat, and other IlliniThon events hosted throughout the year, students gain a window into the experiences of our Miracle Families, hearing the ways in which St. John’s has touched their lives. 

 

Across these stories, it becomes clear that nothing at St. John’s goes unnoticed. Besides providing life-saving, innovative, and uncompensated medical attention for children in need, donations to St. John’s also alleviate the financial stress of the small, easy-to-overlook expenses during a hospitalization through programs providing laundry services, meals, and more. The comprehensive, attentive care shown toward both patients and families creates an environment where kids feel safe and comfortable, while ensuring that parents’ full attention can remain on what matters: their child's health and rehabilitation. 

 

What IlliniThon is able to provide for the Miracle Kiddos and Families of St. John’s Children’s Hospital would not be possible without the generosity of students, alumni, corporate partners, donors, and volunteers like you! In 2024, we were able to raise $70,000. In 2025, we raised over $80,000. Last year, we were able to surpass $100,000 together, all For The Kids. With your help, we hope to maintain the momentum of our efforts and maximize our contribution to St. John’s Children’s Hospital by raising $125,000 in 2027! 

 

As President this year, I hope to end my senior year knowing we did everything we could to help change kids’ health and change the future. Your donations of any amount create an immeasurable impact. From directly supporting the patients of St. John’s to helping us host engaging events for our Miracle Kids, every donation is a promise that no child fights alone. With that in mind, I encourage you to explore our website, get to know our Executive Board, peer into moments from our past events, see what’s coming up in the future, and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

 

On behalf of IlliniThon and the kids who will be, have been, and are being treated at HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital, thank you for your support and generosity! Let’s all make IlliniThon 2026-27 the best year yet, because Kids Can’t Wait! After all, kids are only kids once. 

 

Kids Can’t Wait,

 

Maeve Lovell

IlliniThon President

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