Our Story

louisiana state university

Dance Marathon at LSU began in 2013 with a small group of students who were passionate about helping the kids at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. These champion students heard the origin story of Indiana University Dance Marathon and were inspired to carry the cause over to Louisiana. In its first year, DM at LSU raised $105,557.88, breaking the national fundraising record for a first-year program. In the program’s second-year, DM at LSU raised $182,672.45, breaking another national record. This was just the beginning.

This is Dance Marathon’s 11th year on LSU’s campus. In the past 10 years, our students have helped raise over $1.8 million for our local children and families impacted by pediatric illness and injury.

National

Dance Marathon is a nationwide student run organization through Children’s Miracle Network. It was founded in 1991 in honor of Ryan White, a teenager who contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. Just a few months before he was set to attend college in 1990, Ryan lost his battle to AIDS. Some of Ryan’s friends decided to start Dance Marathon in his honor, and they were able to raise $10,900 in their first year. From there, universities across the nation began their own Dance Marathons to raise money for their local children’s hospitals. Today, there are over 400 universities that have their own Dance Marathon and have raised $300 million since the first in 1991.