OttoTHON connects SU students, local children hospital patients one dance at a time
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On Saturday, Syracuse University students and children receiving treatment at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital came together for OttoTHON’s annual event in Goldstein Auditorium. For 12 hours, event participants danced and made meaningful connections with the recipients of their year-long fundraising efforts.
“One hundred percent of the money we raise goes to the hospital,” said Emma Liakas, a SU senior and OttoTHON’s external steering director. “At the end of the day, no matter what is happening in our lives, we know the children down the street are impacted by the work we are doing.”
OttoTHON is SU’s largest philanthropic organization. The program supports Upstate Golisano by hosting team bonding events and fundraisers throughout the year, leading up to a 12-hour Dance Marathon. The organization raised $109,631 this year, over a $6,000 increase from 2023 and its highest fundraising achievement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dance Marathon initiative is a national effort that contributes to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for children’s hospitals in the United States and Canada.
SU junior Grace Brashears is OttoTHON’s 2023-2024 executive director. She manages the executive board and steering board and serves as the liaison between the organization and Upstate Golisano. She joined OttoTHON her freshman year at SU after founding her high school’s Dance Marathon program.
“I wanted to help the people in my community in a way that was bigger, and I just fell in love with the cause,” Brashears said. “When I got to Syracuse, I knew I wanted to join OttoTHON and I’ve loved it ever since. I wanted to help fill in the cracks in the healthcare system today, and that is what the money we raise does.”
This year marks OttoTHON’s 10-year anniversary. Liakas, who oversees the marketing chairs and recruitment team, said the 2024 OttoTHON event differed from the past with its promotion and leadership structure.
More people were interested in executive positions, Liakas said. Therefore, they created a new team leadership program, which allows students to become team captains for their respective organizations.
The team captains attend bi-weekly meetings and are invited to OttoTHON’s internal fundraising events. Instead of the executive board promoting registration for the event, the team captains handled recruiting dancers for the marathon. Liakas said the new initiative has resulted in an increase in donations.
“For a while, every person registered was raising over $100, which was a lot higher than years past,” Liakas said. “I think we have more connections to the students and the different clubs and organizations themselves through our team captains.”
OttoTHON consistently raises more than $100,000 a year, Liakas said. The group’s fundraising efforts are not limited to the one event. They receive donations and corporate sponsors throughout the year, and organize events and campaigns prior to the marathon.
Cassandra Roshu | Photo Editor
OttoTHON participants gather in a “Circle of Hope,” a tradition where a member of the organization cuts off the wristband of each attendee to mark the conclusion of the day. It was the last event of the evening before the big reveal.
Some students who are involved with OttoTHON have a personal connection to the cause. Aaron Lener, a freshman at SU and Syracuse resident, has been treated at Upstate Golisano’s emergency department. He joined the organization because he wanted to “give back to the hospital.”
Lener is part of the OttoTHON Leadership Program (OLP), which helps integrate first-year students into the organization. The freshmen are assigned mentors and participate in workshops and activities throughout the year to become familiar with the community, as well as help organize fundraisers and events, Lener said.
“The best part of the whole experience is interacting with the kids,” Lener said. “I love doing activities with them and just talking with them. It is by far my favorite part of OLP.”
Unlike many other college Dance Marathon programs, OttoTHON has the unique privilege to serve a hospital that is right down the road. On Saturday, participants paraded to Upstate Golisano and performed a dance for the children who were not able to attend the event, Liakas said.
Brashears, who has a practicum at the hospital, said the local aspect of the program is what makes the organization feel so impactful.
“As SU students, sometimes we forget that we are part of the larger Syracuse community,” Brashears said. “Having this connection to the hospital serves as a reminder that Syracuse is so much more than just the university.”
