Champions for children

From left, Wright State students Alexander Azar, Nicolas Davis and Ashley Greene received the Community Engagement Award at the Dance Marathon Leadership Conference in St. Louis.

The 10th annual Wright State University Raiderthon and the student organization behind it, the Wright State Miracle Makers, were honored with a community engagement award at a national conference.

The Miracle Makers raised $50,687 for Dayton Children’s Hospital through various fundraisers last year, including its annual 12-hour dance marathon in April.

In August, three Wright State students received community engagement awards at the Dance Marathon Leadership Conference in St. Louis. The conference celebrated the impact that Miracle Network Dance Marathon organizations have on pediatric health.

“I am so proud of all of the hard work Miracle Makers has put in to receive this award and to be recognized at the national level,” said senior Ashley Greene, president of the Wright State Miracle Makers.

Two of the organization’s fundraising events, the Will Kreuger Memorial Golf Scramble and Miracle Night at a Wright State men’s basketball game, were lauded for engagement with new audiences in the community.

In July, students and staff honored the life of Will Krueger, a Wright State alumnus and passionate supporter of Raiderthon, with a golf scramble that raised $7,103 for Dayton Children’s Hospital. The event was an opportunity to raise funds from Wright State employees, students and alumni and honor Krueger’s passion for golf and helping ill children.

From left, Colin Gutridge, Bill Krueger, Amber Barga, Valeriya Falkenshtern and Abby Adams present a check to Dayton Children’s Hospital from the Will Krueger Memorial Scramble at Raiderthon.

The Miracle Makers also organized Miracle Night last January at a men’s basketball game to bring their message to fans at the Wright State University Nutter Center. Students wore colorful costumes, performed during halftime and raised over $1,000.

The events represented a 57% fundraising increase from the previous year and helped the Miracle Makers raise over $50,000 during its year-long fundraising efforts.

In addition to the community engagement awards, Wright State students were asked to speak about community events and best practices at the Dance Marathon Leadership Conference.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to reach more people in our community and growing in our community partnerships,” said Greene, who has already begun planning next year’s Raiderthon.