lliniThon

PO Box 2097
Champaign IL, 61825-2097
Media Contact
Kelly Bastyr
Cell: (708) 494-0102
bastyr2@illinois.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IlliniThon hosts seventh annual dance marathon
Champaign, Illinois (February 11, 2015)- Jordan Plantiz, 5 years old, is different than
most kids. Jordan has an incurable syndrome of which there are only nine cases
diagnosed in the world. Jordans mother, Deanna Plantiz, explains his brain will outgrow
the skull causing seizures and inevitably death.
When you get news like this a time clock goes off and you hear it ticking every day,
Plantiz said. There is never going to be enough time with Jordan. I dont go to bed
without a bag packed, we dont make plans for the future, and I rock him to sleep every
night imprinting everything on his face because it might not be there in the morning.
Fortunately Jordan is one of the many kids that benefit from IlliniThon. IlliniThon is a
13.1 hour dance marathon where participants dance for the full duration of the event.
Participants dance as a reminder of the pain that kids, like Jordan, go through daily, as
well as to celebrate the yearlong fundraising efforts. The event has dancing, games,
entertainment, and Miracle Families, like Jordans, to speak.
My favorite part of the night is when the Miracle Children and their families share their
stories to inspire participants, said Alyssa Rawleigh, IlliniThon President. Every year I
am amazed by the courage of the kids. Being part of IlliniThon adds meaning to my
college experience. I want more students to pariticapte because it is truly a life-changing
event they will enjoy.
This years IlliniThon takes place on April 18, 2015 from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. at The
Union, on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigns main quad. Participants can
sign up as an individual or with a team. The fundraising goal is $150,000, with over
$124,000 raised last year.
I made a personal goal of raising over $2,000 for the kids, said Taylor Glavan, a senior
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and IlliniThons top fundraiser. It is a
great experience to see how grateful these families are for the money we raise to help
their children. I donated to children's hospitals in the past but attending this event allows
me to actually see where my money goes.--------MORE--------

IlliniThon hosts dance marathon

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100% of the money raised goes to St. Johns Childrens Hospital in Springfield, Illinois,
one of the many Childrens Miracle Network hospitals. Jordan visits St. Johns Hospital
weekly for occupational, physical, and speech therapy. St. Johns also provides financial
support for needy families.
The registration cutoff is Feb. 27, 2015 and the donation cutoff is March 31, 2015. To
register or donate to IlliniThon click here: http://events.dancemarathon.com. If you
would like more information about IlliniThon, or to schedule an interview, please contact
President of IlliniThon Alyssa Rawleigh at illinidm.exec@gmail.com.
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Started in 1991, Dance Marathon is a nationwide initiative that benefits Children's
Miracle Network (CMN). Dance Marathon has raised over $62 million since its inaugural
event at Indiana University in Bloomington. Dance Marathon has spread to over 250 high
school and college campuses nationwide, all of which raise money for their local CMN
Hospital. For more information about Dance Marathon visit http://dancemarathon.com/.
IlliniThon came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007 and is an
annual event that raises money for the Children's Miracle Network that directly benefits
St. John's Children's Hospital in Springfield, Ill. For more information about IlliniThon
visit http://illinidm.org/.