ULDM

This past weekend was the University of Louisville Dance Marathon.  I decided to sign up after hearing how much everyone else had enjoyed it in the past.  Kelly and I signed up a few weeks ago. There were also a bunch of Sigma Chi's(25) and KD's(22) that signed up this year which made it more fun.

ULDM is a fundraiser for Kosair's Children's Hospital.  Dancers sign up and raise money for the charity.  Last year ULDM was 24 hours long, but this year they lowered it to 18 hours.  It began on Friday at 6 pm and lasted until noon on Saturday.  I was a bit skeptical that this could actually keep me awake for 18 hours while locked in the SAC, but it ended up being a blast.

There were plenty of activities planned out for us throughout the 18 hours.  We danced a lot (naturally).  We danced on our own and were also taught various dances that we either exercised to or performed.  We were split up into three large groups and throughout the night we would get into our groups and go do activities.  There were also speakers who came and talked to us, most of which had been affected by cancer and had been helped by the Kosair's Children's Hospital.  

There was plenty of food provided for us.  We had about 5 meals and they were all delicious.  We had Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Roadhouse, Krispy Kreme, and Chili's throughout our time there.

I managed to stay awake for the entire night (minus about 3 minutes when I passed out while laying down).  Staying busy the entire time helped a lot, but there were times when I just about fell down where I was standing I was so tired.  

In the end, there were 152 total dancers there and various numbers of volunteers throughout the 18 hours.  We raised a total of almost $38,000 for the charity, which was presented to a Kosair's representative at noon on Saturday.  Chili's was our corporate sponsor, and had donated lunch on Saturday.  In the end, Chili's presented Kosair's with a $500,000 check, which was very impressive and generous.

ULDM was a blast and I am very glad I participated this year.  It was challenging at points, but it was fun throughout.  It was for a great cause and getting to see some of the kids there who had been helped by Kosair's was very rewarding.  When I made it home on Saturday, I fell right asleep and didn't wake back up until about 5 pm.  Even then I was still tired and I went to bed early that night at about 12.  I only wish I had gone to these every year I had been here...