DemonThon held a “Mini Dance Marathon” on Monday to kick off their yearly fundraising for Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. 

The event ran from 7 p.m. -10 p.m. in the Student Center on Oct. 1 in recognition of Children’s Health Day and to start their year. The event included food, games, dancing, performances and a virtual visit from one of the families supported by their campaign. In addition, DePaul’s cheer team and mascot, DIBS, came out to the event. 

Over the past 10 years, DemonThon has raised over $1 million for Lurie Children’s Hospital, via Demonthon. In addition, DemonThon is DePaul’s largest philanthropic student organization. DemonThon’s mission is to “[be an] organization that aspires to create a world where all kids can be kids,” via DemonThon. 

DemonThon intended for this event to get out information about what their organization is and recruit some more members. In addition, they hoped to give the DePaul community a snapshot of what to look forward to their “big event” in April. 

“We are sending out information about our organization and we’re still doing a little bit of recruiting,” said sophomore Parin Sensenbrenner. “So we also just kind of wanted to let DePaul’s community know what we’re about and what to look forward to in April.”

The event hosted similar activities to their “big event” in April, just on a much smaller scale. The event in April is a 12-hour celebration of their fundraising efforts. In addition, the event in April will include appearances from “miracle families,” families who receive care that is affected by DemonThon’s efforts. 

“Today is a little mini version of that [big event held in April] a three-hour dance marathon where we have our morale dance,” said junior Natalie Surdy. “We do have one miracle child and her family coming in to tell us a little bit about their story.”

More than 100 students registered to attend the event, via DeHub. 

“Well, I was just walking by the event,” freshman Gulbanu Madiyarova said. “I’d heard about DemonThon before at the student involvement fair, so I was really interested in the work they’re doing. I was looking for the community, which I want to be a part of. And I was like, that sounds really nice. I get to do something really nice for kids like donations and everything to help out like that. Also, you meet friends.”

DemonThon members had a variety of reasons for their participation in the organization.

“So I was actually a hospital child,” Surdy said. But I’m seeing an organization that brightened up a hospital, that brought good things to those kids who are fighting for so many different things. It’s something that touched close to my heart.”

When coming to college, students want to find a way to make a change in their new community.

“I wanted to find a way to better myself and my new Chicago community,” Sensenbrenner said. “So if there’s any way that I can support the future and the children that are our future I want to do that.”

For more information about DemonThon, or future events, their instagram is @Demonthon.