Dance Marathon starts Nov. 3 in Athletic Complex

Oct. 31, 2007 -- The 2007 St. Louis Area Dance Marathon will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, in the Field House of the Athletic Complex. The 12-hour dance-a-thon is the culmination of a year's worth of fund-raising for Children's Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis.

More than 1,000 participants are "licensed to dance" on Saturday, and visitors are welcome to make a $5 donation and join the fun between 3 p.m. and 1 a.m. The day's schedule includes performances from several WUSTL dance groups, as well as contests and games.

Participants and visitors will have the opportunity to take part in the "miracle auction" and special raffles, for which prizes include an iPhone and two pairs of round-trip tickets courtesy of American Airlines.

Faculty and staff members are encouraged to attend the faculty and staff welcome reception at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Athletic Complex, but are also welcome to visit at any time.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has volunteered to donate $9 to Children's Miracle Network for every faculty or staff member who visits. The $9 is in honor of this being Dance Marathon's ninth year at WUSTL.

Information about donating and visiting can be found at www.sladm.org.

Children's Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis supports St. Louis Children's Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. One hundred percent of donated funds are used to help these hospitals fund programs, equipment and facility renovations to meet the needs of area children. In 2006, Dance Marathon donated more than $123,000 to the charity.

For more information, contact Gregory Perlstein at gperlstein@wustl.edu or (860) 803-9135.