Miracle Makers mark half-a-million ways Wright State students help hospitalized children

Wright State Miracle Makers, a student-run organization that organizes the annual Raiderthon dance marathon, has raised more than $500,000 for Dayton Children’s Hospital.

A Wright State University student organization recently celebrated a milestone: raising $500,000 to help locally hospitalized children. The money was raised through efforts that brought joy, tried to ameliorate pain and elicited emotions.

Wright State Miracle Makers is a student-run organization that raises funds for Dayton Children’s Hospital.

“Our mission is to raise awareness and funds to enhance the quality of care and create opportunity for local kids at Dayton Children’s Hospital,” said Ashley Greene, the group’s president.

In its 11 years of fundraising, Miracle Makers hit the $500,000 mark this semester. To raise awareness of its mission, Miracle Makers held a Half-A-Million Celebration in the Student Union on Oct. 23.

The group raises money from various events throughout the year and is now gearing up for its signature fundraiser, Raiderthon, which will be held on March 29, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to midnight in the Apollo Room of the Student Union.

“It’s our most important event of the year. I absolutely love it,” said Greene, a senior organizational leadership major from Springboro.

Raiderthon is a dance marathon, but dancing is only part of the event.

“We have other events throughout the day — music, games, raffles, inflatables, food, a silent disco, lip sync battles, lots of different activities,” Greene said.

Money is raised through registration fees, sponsorships and donations on behalf of participants, which last year numbered nearly 300.

Raiderthon is one of about 400 such events coordinated by dance marathon organizations. Miracle Makers is part of the Children’s Miracle Network.

“What’s really cool about the Children’s Miracle Network is that the money raised stays local. Dayton Children’s Hospital is the closest one to us,” Greene said.

The $500,000 mark is significant for Wright State’s Miracle Makers, said its advisor, Gina Keucher, associate director of student involvement and leadership.

While bigger universities raise larger amounts with giant dance marathons, Keucher reminds Wright State students to “look cumulatively at the difference you are making, the impact you have, giving back to the community.”

Keucher added, “That’s why I love being the advisor to this group, seeing that they realize the impact they make.”

For instance, during Raiderthon families and children who have been helped through the students’ efforts visit and tell their stories of success through hard times. She said there are special moments called Angel Hours, where a family will share a story about a son or daughter who did not survive, but the students’ efforts still made a positive impact.

“That moment for me as a mom of four boys, I can’t imagine the strength of a parent. For our students to see that they’re making that kind of a difference is wonderful,” Keucher said.

Keucher, who has served as the Miracle Makers advisor since 2019, has high praise for this year’s group.

“They’re really beginning to see that they can do more. They have the potential to do good things,” she said. “They’ve set a goal of $62,000, which would be the highest raised to date. I think they have a really good chance.”

About 25 students participate in Miracle Makers.

“We all want to do something positive in the community,” Greene said. “That’s the common bond.”