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Students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will dance most of the day and night away to help raise funds and awareness for St. Louis children’s hospitals.

SIUE’s Third Annual Dance Marathon will be from noon Saturday, Feb. 28, through midnight, Sunday, March 1, according to Sarah Laux, assistant director for Community Engagement at SIUE’s Kimmel Student Involvement Center.

The community project will raise money for St. Louis Children’s Hospital and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, Laux said.

“The marathon is a culmination of SIUE’s previous year of fundraising for St. Louis children’s hospitals and at midnight the total amount raised will be disclosed,” Laux said.

“We have been participating in the marathon for the past three years to help the children in our area,” Laux added. “It is also a good community involvement and volunteer opportunity for our students.”

Individuals can register and or donate for the marathon here: SIUE Dance Marathon.

Students will stay on their feet, either dancing or otherwise, throughout the 12-hour celebration, Laux said.

There will be hourly themes to correspond with the music and dancers, and partygoers will dress according to the particular theme, Laux added. Dancers will also learn a 10-minute Morale Dance to be performed in full at the end of the night. Some of the dance themes for the marathon include:

• Party in the USA

• Throwback 50s-70s

• Throwback 80s-2000s

• Around the World

• Country

• Zumba

• Hip-Hop/R&B

The Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon will blend games, music, dancing and philanthropy into an experience that honors children treated at St. Louis local hospitals. Since its inception in 2000 at Washington University in St. Louis, Dance Marathon has raised more than $1.5 million.

View more on SIUE dance marathon.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.