Thank you to all of the participants and donors for raising nearly $125,000 for cancer research and treatment by the City of Hope Hospital. We had such fun with everyone at the 24Hr Fitness Ultra Sport in Irvine – we even made the local news!! Find out what went on this year, who raised the most money and more about next years event as we shoot towards Raising $1 Million for the City of Hope over the past 7 years!!!
At the 6th Annual 24 Hour Cancer Dance-A-Thon this past Saturday, the Atomic Ballroom Family was joined by cancer survivors, donors, musicians, DJs and dancers from all over for lessons, games, performances and breakfast; together we successfully raised another large donation check for the City of Hope. Each year, our spirits are raised as we stand above the main gym looking down onto the dance floor where the Team booths are assembled all covered in support signs, the dance floor is filled with familiar faces and even more new participants, dancers are sleeping in corners, and delirious endurance dancers pound energy drinks as they continue to lindy hop. It is always inspiring to see a community come together for not only fun, but to give back in a positive way. And we are proud of our community!
Total Funds Raised and Top Participants
2011 Cancer Dance-A-Thon Total : $124,367.97
Top 5 Individual Participants
- Audrey Ogura $30,215.00
- Christopher Gauntt $3046.00
- Linda Lau $2993.47
- Zak Kong $2875.00
- Yvette Patko $2650.00
Top 3 Teams with Most Funds Raised
- Swingstong $39,600.00
- Mystery Machine $10,601.47
- Passport to Dance $10,000.00
Dance Till You Drop
After 24 Hours of Dancing
Saturday at Noon, the event kicked off with opening ceremonies and a speaker from City of Hope, then began a 24 Hour cycle of dance lessons, DJs and Live Music. Teams diligently decorated their tents and tables, team members took the floor and the Dance-A-Thon was off! In the main room, people amassed as they checked in for their designated floor times giving other members a rest and chance to check out the silent auction in the entry way. As the evening progressed, participants poured in a the Atomic Cherry Bombs and Atomic Lindy Hop Colliders put on performances. Across the entryway, the blues room gave the lindy hoppers a chance to slow things down. The blues room and its all-night DJs entice new participants from the local Southern California Blues Dance community to ‘crossover’ for a good cause.
Throughout the night, games and contest rouse the crowd out of their sleepiness. My favorite is the annual Boogie Relay! Relay contest are always out of control as each team tries to physically outdo the others, but add lack of sleep and exasperated silliness, and you get a riotous competition! And every year, participants get pumped for the annual Cancer Dance-A-Thon T-shirt “Re-design” Contest, where you can be the next “Top Designer” scoring some cool prizes!
At 7am, it’s BREAKFAST TIME! Waking up is hard to do, but with coffee in hand the final few hours go by too quickly. A nice pancake breakfast gets everyone re-fueled for the final push. 24 Cancer Dance-A-Thon made the morning news on TWO stations! Garden Grove’s Channel 3 came out to film participants at 24 Hour Fitness, while some dancers completed an entire hour of dance on the KTLA Channel 5 News set! At the 24 Hr Fitness, some participants crowded around the TVs hoping to catch the early morning broadcast and bring in some last minute donations. Finally, Shesha came out with the BIG CHECK made out to the City of Hope for $123k!!! And it was all over… As things got cleaned up, participants slowly dragged themselves to their cars and back home for some well-earned sleep.
Cancer Dance-A-Thon in the News!
Dancers on KTLA 5
Dance-A-Thon in the Station
Dancers on Channel 3
Coming Soon: 24 Hour Cancer Dance-A-Thon 2012!!!
You can donate all year long and keep checking in for updates on next years fundraiser! In six years, the Orange County swing dance community has raised around $760,000 for the City of Hope!! That is amazing! In the next year, we hope to reach out to all the past participants to join us again, bring new friends, and help up raise $240,000 – bringing the 7 Year Grand Total raised to $1 Million Dollars for Cancer Research and Treatment!
Thank you to all of our donors, participants and volunteers for another wonderful year! See you all again next year for the “Million Dollar Year”!!
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