Dear Prospective High School,
DanceBlue began in 2006 from the inspiration of Jarrett Mynear, a very
passionate and admirable cancer patient. To this day, dedicated students and
advisors work together to honor Jarrett, and help children at the DanceBlue
KCH Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at Kentucky Children’s
Hospital. We would like to invite you and your school to join our team.
Together, we can raise money that goes towards kids and families who are
affected by cancer in the commonwealth, and also fund research to help end
childhood cancer.
The following packet explains DanceBlue and steps on how your school
can have their very own DanceBlue Mini-Marathon. It is our hope that these
marathons, modeled after our 24-hour dance marathon at UK, will continue
to demonstrate to high school students the importance of helping fight against
pediatric cancer.
There is hard work and planning associated with accomplishing such a
goal, but the DanceBlue mini-marathon team is here to help you every step of
the way. Our hope is to assist you in your planning process to create a fun,
fulfilling marathon that is unique to your school.
We are excited to have your school join us in our amazing tradition at the
University of Kentucky. Thank you for your support and dedication to
DanceBlue.
For The Kids,
Evan Adams-Mini Marathon Chairman, minimarathons@danceblue.org
Erica Shipley-Overall Chairman, overall@danceblue.org
What is DanceBlue?
An Introduction
In the fall of 2004, several student organizations responded to an organizational forum to explore the
possibility of starting a dance marathon at the University of Kentucky. This forum was led by Jennifer Mynear, whose
son, Jarrett, ended his 11-year battle with cancer at age 13 in October of 2002. He made an incredible impression
across Kentucky and our nation and sparked the community’s support in renovating the UK Children’s Cancer Clinic.
Jennifer’s mission was to involve college students in a most endearing crusade, both to the state of Kentucky and to
her own heart: childhood cancer. Prominent leadership groups across UK’s campus were inspired to recruit organizers
for this new cancer campaign, and met enthusiastic support at all levels. Organizers found a welcome home for this
new event at the UK Center for Community Outreach. Since 2006, DanceBlue has raised $8,200,475.07 for this cause,
$1.6 million from 2014-2015 alone! Each year, DanceBlue has remained the largest student-run philanthropy in the
state of Kentucky, and now in the SEC. More than just a fundraiser, DanceBlue remains centered on the children and
the families of the clinic with events, volunteering, and interaction with the families throughout the entire year.
The Mission of DanceBlue
It is the mission of the University of Kentucky Dance Marathon, DanceBlue, to create a multi-faceted
organization that operates through the support and leadership of the UK students, faculty, staff, administrators, and
the Lexington community. The organization enhances the lives of children and families suffering from childhood
cancer through the Golden Matrix Fund, and therefore serves the Bluegrass by assisting those treated at the University
of Kentucky Pediatric Oncology Clinic. Furthermore, DanceBlue strives to establish a continued tradition, invoke
appreciation and involvement, and ultimately create something greater than oneself.
Explanation of the Golden Matrix Fund
All money raised by DanceBlue directly supports The Golden Matrix Fund, which was created to benefit the
University of Kentucky Pediatric Oncology Clinic patients and families. Childhood cancer not only affects the child
physically, but also creates many emotional and financial difficulties for the entire family. Children who are cancer
patients make routine visits to the hospital and have to undergo countless tests and procedures on a regular basis, all
the while trying to fit in with their peers. Families affected by childhood cancer are faced with countless stressors to
their daily lives including paying medical bills, obtaining transportation to and from hospital visits, taking time off
work to take care of their children, and the emotional effects on other siblings. The Golden Matrix Fund is used to
alleviate some of these issues. The fund helps the families of the DanceBlue KCH Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Clinic at Kentucky Children’s Hospital receive better care, better support, lessen the financial burden and give patients
back their childhood. As the fund has grown over the year, it now also supports pediatric cancer research and
specialized clinic staff.
Begin planning your DanceBlue Mini Marathon:
First off…what exactly IS a mini marathon? This is an event lasting between 6-12 hours in which all students and
faculty participating do NOT sit or sleep for the entire allotted time. They will be required to raise a certain amount
of money before they will be eligible to be considered a dancer for the marathon. Your mini marathon will directly
benefit the Golden Matrix Fund for the DanceBlue KCH Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at Kentucky
Children’s Hospital. Read over the following steps to begin planning your marathon.
Step 1: Create a team
Your school is full of passionate students who are all affected my cancer in some way or another. Find a group of
students who are particularly interested and begin the wonderful adventure that is planning a mini marathon. This is
the group of people that will be in charge of your marathon from start to finish.
Step 2: Find an Advisor
What’s a passionate group of students without a passionate advisor to lead them? This role is very important. This
can be anyone from a teacher to a school administrator. Your advisor will help with planning and be the liaison
between you and the administration.
Step 3: Setting a Date, Time & Length
Another very important step: timing. The date of your mini marathon should be a day with little to no conflicts. Be
sure to think about sports events, dances, talent shows, science fairs, and other events that may also be going on that
will restrict a large amount of students from being able to attend. The length of your marathon can be anywhere from
6-12 hours, but just remember: the more hours you have, the more planning you will have to do. Unfortunately, we
do not control the weather, so please keep snow days and inclement weather in mind. Please be sure to stay in contact
with our mini marathon team to make sure your date also works for us. We want to be there too!
Step 4: Reserve a Location
When picking your location, keep all of the activities of your marathon in mind. We highly recommend using the
school’s gym or cafeteria. It should be big enough to hold all your dancers along with being available for other fun
activities. It is necessary to have accessibility to outlets for speakers and AV equipment.
Step 5: Set a Dancer Fee
Think about what works best for the students in your school and consult advice from your advisor and other faculty.
This fee can be any amount, but we recommend anywhere between $5-$50.
Step 6: Approve all details with Faculty and Administration
You must approve the date, equipment, location and all other details with the faculty and administration. It is
important that there are chaperones at all hours of the marathon along with custodial staff. This process could take a
while, so make sure you approach them as soon as possible!
When you have completed all of these steps you are ready to begin the promotion, planning
and fundraising phase of your marathon!
How can I promote our mini marathon?
Promote to friends, teams and clubs to join as dancers! Some possible promotion ideas are:
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Show the DanceBlue Promo Video! Email someone from the DanceBlue mini marathon team to receive some
of our wonderful promotion videos that truly convey the magic of our marathon and what it represents.
Create your own Promo Video! What better way to recruit students then to see their own peers and teachers
getting excited for DanceBlue?! Grab some excited students and a friend with a video camera and set some
time after school to create a short 1-2 minute video. Remember to give them exact details of how they can
dance including permission slip information, the dancer fee and information about the actual event.
Promote on Morning or Afternoon Announcements! With approval from your advisor, think of some sort of
announcement that can be said once a week before your marathon. You can also do this to celebrate the “100
days until your marathon”, or other countdowns.
Have a poster making party to hang up around school! There’s no such thing as too much publicity! Hang
posters all over school. These posters can say anything on them, for example: date, time, place, dancer fee,
deadlines, who to contact for further questions, etc. You can also promote by handing out cancer awareness
ribbons and asking students to fill in who they are dancing for or why cancer has affected them. Sometimes
the best way to appeal to your peers is to connect to them personally.
Have a Spirit Week the days leading up to the marathon! Each day can be a little preview to some of the
potential themed hours of your marathon, activities that will be there, etc. You can also use this as a way to
get some last minute donations, for example having a “hat day”, in which all students can pay a certain fee to
be able to wear a funny hat to school.
What are some ways to fundraise for our marathon?
Think of fun and creative ways to raise money! Here are just a few fundraising ideas:
 Bake Sale/Lemonade Stand/Hot Chocolate: Have students on your executive team or in different clubs bake
some goods or make lemonade or hot chocolate. This is an easy way to both promote your event while still
providing a snack or beverage to your friends and faculty after school.
 Percentage night at local restaurants: Contact a local restaurant about having a restaurant night in which a
portion the payment from someone’s meal will go towards your mini marathon. Buffalo Wild Wings, Canes,
BD’s Mongolian Grill and Mellow Mushroom have done this in the past for UK’s DanceBlue.
 Class fundraising competition: Give each grade a deadline to see who can raise the most money. Remember:
you will most likely need more than one advisor to facilitate this activity.
 Ask local restaurants to donate food & drinks for dinner and snacks: Food will be a necessity at the marathon
itself, so begin asking local food and drink vendors about donating items. Parents at school may also be willing
to help with this.
DanceBlue Dictionary:
FTK: This term means ‘For The Kids’ and is often used (and chanted!) throughout the course of the marathon and
planning period. It reminds us of why we are dancing and putting this event together!
Dancer: A person who has raised all of the money required to dance (dancer fee). They receive all incentives that they
said they would be granted (tshirt, water bottle, etc.)
Advance: The schedule of the marathon. This should be as detailed as possible, going over everything that will be
happening throughout the marathon including special guests, music to be played, equipment to be brought out, etc.
Line Dance: The dance that is performed at the top of every hour during the marathon.
Total: The amount that was raised by your school. This will be revealed at the end of the night.
How can I begin planning the event?
There is a lot of planning that needs to happen in order to make sure your marathon runs smoothly. Not only does
good planning produce a good marathon, but it also makes students want to do the marathon in years to come. This
is one of the most fun parts of the journey, so get excited to begin! Here are a few things to consider when beginning
planning your advance (schedule of marathon):
1. Themed hours: This is an excellent way to keep the marathon fun and entertaining. Here are a few ideas for
themed hours:
 Recess: Bring out some basketballs, hoola-hoops and other fun outdoor games for students to
play during this hour. You can also play some “throwback” music from middle school and
elementary school.
 Harry Potter: Who doesn’t love an hour full of Harry and his friends? Set up a Quiditch game and
have students and faculty dress as their favorite Harry Potter character.
 Rave: Bring on the neon, glowsticks, and crazy music! Also find out about turning the lights off
to get the full affect!
 History of the Line Dance: Play all of the famous line dances, including the Electric Slide, Cupid
Shuffle, etc.
2. Memorial Hour/”Celebration of Life”: This hour is very important and should be saved for the last hour
before you reveal the total amount that was raised. Consider asking someone in your school who has had a
form of cancer or who has been affected by it to speak during this hour, but remember to be respectful. We
will also plan to show some footage of some of the kids in our clinic. This is a way to culminate that the
marathon is not just a cool Friday night hangout, but for the kids.
3. The first hour and a half will be dedicated to learning the line dance, which will be taught by our Mini Marathon
team. It is a little over five minutes long and is a shorter version of the most recent dance learned and
performed by students at DanceBlue 2015.
What can you expect from the University of Kentucky DanceBlue Mini Marathons Team?
We are so honored that you have decided to plan a mini marathon and we cannot wait to see how your school
becomes a part of our family. Your school will be assigned a mini marathon consultant after completing all of the
paperwork. This person will be a guide to assisting you with creative input and answering any general questions and
will answer to your weekly email updating us on the marathon. We will also provide you with a step-by-step video of
the linedance that our team will be teaching the day/night of your mini, as well as at least five representatives from
our team to help with anything you may need. You will also be granted use of our official DanceBlue logo for
promotional materials. Any marathons that are planned after the University of Kentucky DanceBlue Marathon are
not guaranteed these services.
There will be some required paperwork to be turned in before DanceBlue can offer support
and guidance for your mini marathon. If you have read through this packet and have
spoken with an advisor at your school, and do not feel that you can fully commit to a mini
marathon, please contact Evan Adams about some other exciting options we have for
DanceBlue fundraisers!
Thank You!
From all of us on the DanceBlue team, we are excited for you to join us in our adventure. Please do not hesitate to
ask any questions regarding your marathon or ours. We are here to help you and guide you through this process of
creating awareness of childhood cancer and raising money for the Golden Matrix Fund. Thank you for your time
and we are so excited to work with you. FTK and have fun!
The next few pages are some examples of documents to give to your potential
dancers and for the marathon itself. Remember, you can change these to fit
your school and it’s needs! Enjoy!
Information to consider for poster/Facebook event/Twitter/etc.:
DanceBlue Mini Marathon Information
What is [DanceBlue Mini Marathon]?
[DanceBlue Mini Marathon] is a dance marathon formed from UK’s DanceBlue. It is a fundraiser for the Golden
Matrix Fund and therefore assists those treated at the DanceBlue Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Clinic at
Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
Who does the fundraising?
Each dancer that signs up to participate in [DanceBlue Mini Marathon] must raise a minimum of [minimum donation
$] to participate.
How do dancers handle the money?
Students will need to submit at least [minimum donation $] 2 weeks before the marathon. Donation forms and money
can be turned in to [donation location] room. Checks can be made out to UK DanceBlue
What is required of a dancer?
1. Meet fundraising requirements.
2. Full adherence of school rules throughout the marathon.
3. Attendance for the duration of the marathon.
4. An awesome attitude for the kids!!
When is the marathon?
[Marathon date and time].
Example of Permission Slip for Dancers:
DanceBlue Mini Marathon
Registration Form
Please turn in [turn in location and deadline]
Name: ________________________________________________________
Grade: ________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________
Phone Number: ______________________________________________
Group (optional): ____________________________________________
I fully realize that injury or illness to my child could result from or during participation in the dance marathon. In case
of such accident or illness, I give permission for my child to be given medical treatment as deemed appropriate. I will
assume responsibility for any medical bills incurred by/on behalf of my child. I further agree that this high school, its
directors, officers, and employees, including any associated with the dance marathon, will not be liable for any damages
from injuries or illness sustained at the dance marathon. I also grant the right to have my child photographed at any
point throughout the marathon. These photos may be utilized by DanceBlue for promotional materials in the future.
Emergency Contact: _______________________________________
Emergency Phone Number: _______________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: _______________________________
Date: _________________________
Example of a possible letter/email to send out for donations:
Dear Friends,
As preparation continues for the University of Kentucky’s DanceBlue 2015, the students of the [Name of High
School] invite you to become a community partner in our Mini-Marathon to help support this wonderful fundraiser.
Now in its tenth year, DanceBlue represents the Bluegrass’ commitment to the fight against childhood cancer. Since
2006, DanceBlue has raised over $8,000,000 for the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology Clinic and research at the Markey Cancer Center and has become the largest student-run
philanthropic initiative in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Southeastern Conference.
DanceBlue’s success is the result of the hard work of UK’s students and the out-pouring of support from the schools
like [Name of High School]. Your efforts to help [Name of High School] fundraise for DanceBlue provide valuable
support to families battling pediatric cancer. In addition, fundraising efforts make it possible to add a full-time social
worker to the clinic’s staff, who helps counsel children suffering from pediatric cancer and their families.
Please join us in helping children win their battle against cancer! If you would like further information, please visit
our website, www.danceblue.org, or feel free to e-mail us at minimarathons@danceblue.org.
After ten incredible years, the effects of DanceBlue on the UK Pediatric Oncology Clinic and UK’s campus are
abundantly evident. DanceBlue and its Mini—Marathons, like the one at [Name of High School], unites students,
families and members of the Kentucky community like no event has ever done. Corporations are an integral part of
this success, and we encourage you to get involved with this worthy cause.
A sincere thank you in advance for joining us in this amazing effort For The Kids.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME HERE
Example of Possible Committee Descriptions
Registration/Donation Committee
Make registration forms to be distributed two months before your marathon
Collect money donations to be deposited into account
Write a general donation letter that can be sent out
Get count of total attendees
Make up flyers to advertise
Take registration during lunch on designated days
Music Committee
Themed hours
Playlist
Sound system
Performances (step team, cheerleaders, etc.)
Prize Committee
Designate awards (what prizes are given for)
Organize awards for groups and teams
Ask for prize donations from local businesses
T-Shirt Committee
Decide on t-shirt design (get t-shirt design approved by UK Mini Marathon Consultant)
Go to local t-shirt company to ask for donations
Get final count of t-shirts needed
Order shirts
T-shirts for completion of marathon
Food Committee
Get food donations from local restaurants and parents
Determine how much food will be needed
Ask for volunteers to serve food at the marathon
Morale Committee:
Help teach the line dance to students
Keep a happy and excited attitude throughout entire marathon
Example DanceBlue Mini Advance
Welcome and Lead Stretches
1:00-2:00 DanceBlue
Teach Line Dance
2:00-3:00 80’s
2:10 Cheerleaders or Dance Team
Perform
80’s music plays
6:00-7:00 Country Ho-Down
6:05 Student Speaking
7:00-8:00 Michael Jackson
7:05 Volleyball Tournament
3:00-4:00 Collaborations
3:05: Possible Student Speaker
Evolution of the Line Dance – Play
different line dances
8:00-9:00 Rave
*get glowsticks from teachers lounge*
4:00-5:00 America
4:30 Cornhole Tournament
9:50: Check presentation and one last
line dance
5:00-6:00 Dance
5:10: Knockout tournament
9:00-10:00 Memorial Hour
Memorial video presented