RebelTHON, a student-run dance marathon that raises money for Children’s of Mississippi — the state’s only children’s hospital — was held on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
This year, the 14th for the event, raised a record-breaking $280,424.17.
The 12-hour marathon celebrates the strength of the kids and parents of Children’s of Mississippi. Since its beginning, RebelTHON has raised more than $2 million.
RebelTHON President Byron Swetman, a senior computer science major from Latimer, Miss., shared his personal connection to Children’s of Mississippi and explained this year’s initiative.
“The event this year is themed ‘Heart to Heart,’ and our overall project is going to be fundraising a station for nurses in the cardiology unit,” Swetman said. “I lost my brother in Jackson when I was little, so it’s been a passion that I’ve had since day one.”
RebelTHON Director of Videography Georgia Sink, a sophmore integrated marketing communications major from Germantown, Tenn., said that the “Heart to Heart” initiative resonated with her as well.
“This year’s theme is really close to me because I just had heart surgery,” Sink said. “So I’ve seen what these kids go through. To make a difference and raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network and represent each and every one of these children is an honor.”
Sophia Rivero, a senior general business major and RebelTHON moral leader from Atlanta, has been involved with the organization since she was a freshman. Rivero said that visiting Children’s of Mississippi to see RebelTHON’s contribution was impactful.
“Freshman year we (helped fund) the NICU, so they showed it to us sophomore year. It was a great opportunity to be like, ‘Oh, wow. I helped to make a new NICU.’ And being able to see these children happy and having the care they need is just a wonderful experience that you never really get to have,” Rivero said.
RebelTHON has not only supported Children’s of Mississippi financially but also made an effort to connect with Miracle Kids, patients at Children’s of Mississippi and their families.
Miracle Kids Nathan and Owen Overby have attended RebelTHON for five years. Owen was diagnosed with familial macrocephaly and viral meningitis in infancy. In the last few years, Nathan was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis.
Jessica Overby, Nathan and Owen’s mother, spoke of Nathan’s recent diagnosis and the support RebelTHON has given her family.
“When we walked out of the doctor’s office, the first thing he said was, ‘Does this mean I get to be a special kid, too?’ He always came to RebelTHON as the supportive big brother to Owen, and now he was like, ‘I get to be one of the Miracle Kids, too?’ That has been a shining piece throughout his diagnosis,” Overby said. “I joke that we look forward to this just like you would a Disney World countdown. They do a countdown to RebelTHON each year.”
Freshman marketing major Grace Kelly from Wilmington, N.C., spoke of the worth of dedicating an entire Saturday to the event.
“I heard that it was a dance marathon, and I danced my entire life. So, I wanted to make a good impact on the community through dance,” Kelly said.
This year’s winners of the Miracle Cup — the prize that goes to the team that earned the most combined Miracle points from RebelTHON’s fundraising events and money — was Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.
“While winning is fun, the main thing we must remember is that this was for the kids of Mississippi,” Cate Drane, the Alpha Omicron Pi team co-captain and a junior public policy leadership and public health and health sciences double major from Natchez, Miss., said. “I’m extremely proud of AOII but also extraordinarily proud of the entirety of the Ole Miss community.”
