UI Dance Marathon

The University of Iowa Dance Marathon creates and sustains special projects to provide emotional and financial support and services for pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant patients and their families treated at University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital. 

The University of Iowa Dance Marathon is the largest student-led philanthropy and student organization on campus at the University of Iowa. We are one of the founding five Dance Marathon programs and the 3rd largest Children's Miracle Network Dance Marathon across the nation. We provide financial and emotional support to pediatric cancer patients and their families on Level 11 of the UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. Our organization is a year-long commitment consisting of family events for kids to be kids, dancer events for individuals to build connections within our organization, and fundraising so we can eliminate some of the financial burdens that come with a pediatric cancer diagnosis. Whether it was the bright Lime colors, passion for philanthropy and service, or a personal connection to a family that brought you to our page, we are happy to see you here!

Over the past 31 years, we have raised over $37 million to fund various projects including a $2 million allocation to establish the UIDM Pediatric Oncology Chair in Clinical and Translational Research, a yearly $55,000 pledge to fund the UI Dance Marathon Child Life Fellowship position, and over $650,000 to fund cutting edge MRI equipment to provide higher quality treatment for our kiddos. Beyond this, UIDM funds daily expenses for many families, from pharmacy and funeral expenses to hospital activities for the patients and gift cards for their family. We strive to provide support for our over 1,400 kiddos and their families every step of the way. None of this could be done without the support and dedication from our dancers, student leaders, sponsors, and generous donors.