Every year, Dance Marathon at Florida State University supports health care programs in Florida, including at UF Health’s Shands Children’s Hospital and closer to home in Leon County. 

This year, that support reached a milestone: more than $10 million in funding to the FSU College of Medicine since 2003. 

Alma B. Littles, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine, took to the stage at this year’s check presentation to celebrate the impact that student volunteers have made since the marathon’s founding. 

“Here are a couple of things you may not know,” Littles said. “Dance Marathon at FSU proudly stands as one of the five founding Miracle Network Dance Marathons in the country and consistently ranks among the top five Miracle Network Marathon programs nationwide. This is impressive!”  

Dance Marathon at Florida State University, or DM at FSU, was first held in 1996 under the umbrella of the Children’s Miracle Network. Initially, all the money raised went to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. The FSU College of Medicine was added as a recipient in 2003. 

Each year, half the money raised at FSU, after expenses are paid, is given to the College of Medicine to support pediatric health care. Of the $1.3 million raised this year, $617,177.06 went to the FSU College of Medicine, bringing the total over the years to more than $10.3 million. 

Dozens of FSU students commit an entire year of fundraising and planning, which culminates in a whirlwind weekend of non-stop dancing in March during which thousands of students dance in 10- or 20-hour shifts. Many students get involved in Dance Marathon early in their college careers, working their way up into ever-increasing areas of responsibility each year. 

“DM at FSU is where new leaders discover their passion, first found where our future is built, and where many of us, myself included, first found our place in this movement,” said Grace Massari, executive director of the 2026 Dance Marathon. 

Among the community partnerships in pediatric health care funded by DM at FSU are FSU Primary Health, a clinic in southwest Tallahassee that added health care resources to an underserved area; Big Bend Hospice’s free grief counseling for children; FSU Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy, which works in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare; FSU Early Head Start and the Gadsden School-Based Rural Health Clinics, a collaboration among the College of Medicine, Gadsden County Department of Health and Gadsden County Schools. 

Juliana Olodude, lead specialist in the Outreach and Enrollment Department at the Bond Community Health Center, said Dance Marathon support enabled Bond to expand its mobile health services and take its dental programs on the road. 

“When you meet people where they are, you often have to show them that the care is real and accessible,” she said. “Having a mobile unit that is equipped like a doctor’s or dentist’s office reinforces that this is serious, quality care. It helps people feel worthy of receiving the health care they may not have had access to before.” 

This year, the College of Medicine fielded its own dance team for the first time in over a decade, although its students have raised money every year since it was named a beneficiary. 

Littles recognized the six dancers — Kaitlyn Barnes, Alexandra Bush, David Hartsfield, Canna Liu, Kieu Tran and Victoria Vida — who were all first-year medical students when they participated in the main event back in March. Now second-year medical students with an even tougher curriculum, they will serve as advisors to the team of first-year students planning the upcoming marathon. 

Rashim Savani, M.D., chair of the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and the physician-in-chief at Shands, emphasized how much the dancers’ efforts change the lives of children in the region facing health challenges. He gave examples of how research funded by Dance Marathon helped UF develop an antibody to Type 1 diabetes that is given to patients who are prediabetic. Twelve patients have already received the antibody. 

“If you don’t know what Type 1 diabetes is, it’s a failure of your pancreas to make insulin, so then you are a lifelong dependent on insulin pumps, (finger) sticks all the time, complications like blindness, inability to walk, losing the feeling in your extremities; it’s horrible,” he said. “You give one shot of this antibody, and you can either delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes, or in some cases, you can actually prevent it completely. You give that.” 

He also shared that UF is making progress against certain childhood tumors that have been resistant to treatment for 40 years. 

“Solid brain tumors in children is a devastating disorder,” Savani said. “It’s high mortality, and no matter what we tried, the tumor evaded our immune system.” But a team has developed an immunotherapy that dissolved the tumors in animal testing. 

“I’m pleased to report that we’ve now treated our first four patients with this technology,” he said. “You made that happen. You did that.”

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The 2025 Dance Marathon at Florida State University (DM at FSU) was destined to achieve milestones, as it was the 30th year the university and the greater Tallahassee community came together to support pediatric health care.

A second milestone was achieved when “the reveal” showed this year’s dance-fest raised $1,334,457 and change, surpassing last year’s $1.24 million to support Children’s Miracle Network pediatric programs in the Gainesville area and pediatric outreach programs of the FSU College of Medicine.

The total includes $258,985 raised by middle school and high school partner marathons in Leon and Wakulla counties.

“Thank you for bringing our community together for a cause,” said Darcy Sullivan, executive director, as she addressed the crowd shortly before the reveal. “This has been the best year of my life.”

“When we all believe in miracles, anything is possible,” she said.

An estimated 1,500 students participated in the event Feb. 28-March 2 at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Including this year’s total, DM at FSU – FSU’s largest student-led organization and the fifth-largest Dance Marathon in the United States – has raised more than $22 million.

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Dance Marathon at FSU, Florida State University’s largest student-led organization, will host its 10th annual Florida Statement, a 26.2-hour fundraising event on Nov. 6 and 7. The event invites the FSU campus and local community to raise money for the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and FSU’s College of Medicine Pediatric Outreach Programs.

Since its creation in 2015, Florida Statement has become the largest fall fundraising event, significantly contributing to year-long fundraising efforts. This year, Dance Marathon at FSU (DM at FSU) has adopted the slogan “Every Step of the Way,” emphasizing the vital role that specialized pediatric care and research play in improving children’s lives daily.

“This year, DM at FSU is focusing on raising awareness for comprehensive pediatric care and research, highlighting our beneficiaries’ commitment to providing comprehensive care for children at every stage of their medical journey, with a goal of raising $308,800 in 26.2 hours.”

— Eily Jones, marketing and publicity chair for DM at FSU

“We are excited to highlight that this is not only our 10th Florida Statement but our 30th year as an organization,” said Eily Jones, marketing and publicity chair for DM at FSU. “This year, DM at FSU is focusing on raising awareness for comprehensive pediatric care and research, highlighting our beneficiaries’ commitment to providing comprehensive care for children at every stage of their medical journey, with a goal of raising $308,800 in 26.2 hours.”

The $8,800 portion of this goal symbolizes the yearly average number of patients traveling from the Big Bend region to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, highlighting the extensive travel these families undertake to access specialized care for their children.

“Throughout the last three decades, we have been able to change so many lives of children and their families with the funds we have been honored to raise for our beneficiaries, and we are so excited to make even more miracles happen this year,” Jones said.

The Florida Statement event will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6, and end at 11:12 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7. Dance Marathon at FSU has organized activities to engage students and the local community, aiming to increase involvement and raise awareness for the cause.

On Nov. 6, games, crafts and fundraising resources will be available at Landis Green from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Comma Club ceremony will follow at 7:30 p.m. at Langford Green, celebrating participants who have raised over $1,000 this year. Statement Night Live will start at 8 p.m., featuring bingo, a silent disco and miracle balloon painting.

On Nov. 7, the total reveal will take place at noon at Landis Green and will be live-streamed on DM at FSU’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

For more information, visit dmfsu.org.

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How did growing up in Tallahassee affect your decision to attend FSU?

I chose FSU because, as a Tallahassee local, I witnessed firsthand the university’s remarkable growth and transformation over the years. Growing up in the city, I was constantly aware of FSU’s expanding academic programs, research opportunities and community impact. I wanted to be a part of an institution that not only prioritizes academic excellence, but also deeply values community engagement — an aspect I have always admired and wanted to contribute to.

What have you contributed to FSU’s robust academic culture? How has that been meaningful to you?

One of my most significant accomplishments was serving as the associate team lead for FSU iGEM last year. I co-led a multidisciplinary team of 14 undergraduate students in developing a probiotic for patients with trimethylaminuria (TMAU), a rare disease commonly known as “fish odor syndrome.” Our goal was to reduce the pungent odor that individuals with TMAU struggle with in social settings.

I also led our team’s education effort by collaborating with the Challenger Learning Center to host the first-ever Tallahassee Bioengineering Symposium. The event fostered community engagement and awareness for our work with Emily Pritchard, the assistant vice president for Academic Affairs for Health Innovation & Strategic Alliances. My role included facilitating collaborations with prominent researchers at AstraZeneca, Senda Biosciences, ZBiotics and several other companies.

The iGEM team presented our findings at the 2023 iGEM Jamboree in Paris and earned a silver medal for our research efforts. In addition, our work was recognized and funded by a grant from the FSU College of Medicine’s Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases (IPRD), enabling us and future iGEM members to continue our research and further develop a promising solution for TMAU.

How do you give back to the Tallahassee community?

As a member of the Service Scholars program, I conduct community service in Tallahassee through organizations in the Big Bend area. Some of my involvement in these organizations include organizing food donations with Second Harvest of the Big Bend, remodeling and painting temporary homes for Habitat for Humanity and raising awareness and funds for pediatric disease research for Children’s Miracle Network with Dance Marathon. These experiences have made a positive difference in the communities I serve, and I plan to continue my work after graduation.

How have you blended community service and academic interests at FSU?

During my involvement with Dance Marathon as an events coordinator, I started a personal project where I designed and 3D-printed toys for 19 Children’s Miracle Network children and their siblings at UF Shands Children’s Hospital. Each gift was designed based on the interests and hobbies of the children to ensure that the toys would be meaningful and cherished. The surprise gifts were met with positive reactions and a heartful reception from the children and their families. It was amazing to apply what I learned in the classroom to something beyond research.

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