No matter how you decide to participate in Jagathon, your involvement will make a BIG impact. Here are five ways you can be part of our dance marathon this year:
1. Register for the event
Attending Jagathon is much more than standing on your feet for 10 hours. It means supporting the children treated at Riley, fighting for their health, and celebrating their successes.
#ForAllKids
- Visit the Dance Marathon site.
- Click "Register Now!"
- Choose whether you'd like to "Start a Team," "Join a Team," or register as an "Individual." You can make a team with your friends, organization, class, or school. Not sure if your group already has a team? Select "Join a Team" and then click "Search for a Team" to see a list of registered teams.
- Choose your participation type. If you're not on the Jagathon committee, select "Participant."
- Select your fundraising goal. The automatic goal for participants is $100, which is a great place to start. You can always change this goal later. Then, click "Next Step."
- If this is your first Jagathon, click "Join as a New Participant" and fill out the required information. If you've attended Jagathon (and/or high school dance marathons or any other Riley dance mararthon) before, use your previous login credentials. Then, click "Next Step."
- Congrats, you're registered! Now you can customize your fundraising page.
- Begin fundraising
While it's not required to fundraise to attend our event, we encourage and invite all of our participants to raise funds with us throughout the year, so we, as an entire campus, can give the largest gift to Riley Hospital for Children that we can! - Join a JagFam Committee
Being on a committee gives you the chance to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on the planning, execution, and coordination of everything that goes into Jagathon. Each division below has various committees—this means you can join a committee based on your interests. You can also apply to be a Jagathon Chair.
- External Relations: Handles everything between Jagathon and the public.
- Operations: Plans and executes everything about the events leading up to the main event, including the main event.
- Media: Creates merchandise and social media content needed throughout the year and at the main event.
- Finance: Tracks and encourages fundraising, so we can raise up the largest total possible.
- Membership: Is in charge of communicating with everyone that helps make up the organization.
Committe obligations and next steps
- Register for the event so that you can start fundraising. Once you register, select "Committee Member" or "Committee Chair." From there, select "Join Team" and type in the name of your committee. Registration is $15. This $15 fee covers your attendance to our main event, two meals during the event, and an event t-shirt.
- Start fundraising. As a committee member, you are required to raise $300, and as a chair, $600. Don’t let these numbers scare you! We will give you every tool needed to ensure you not only meet that goal, but can go above and beyond it.
- Attend All-Committee Meetings (ACMs) throughout the year, and the final meeting that happens the week of Jagathon. This meeting is very important and includes all aspects of the marathon, from setup to teardown.
Have questions? Reach out to our Vice President of Membership, Kate Wagner.
4. Apply to be a JagPal
This gives you a unique opportunity to gain a special friendship with a particular child and their family. You’ll be paired with a family for the duration of the marathon and do everything from walking in with them during the Riley family parade, to watching the final reveal during the Closing Ceremony.
5. Become a Jagathon Ambassador
As an ambassador, you are assigned 15-25 participants. You are their “go-to” for all things Jagathon related. All of our ambassadors create GroupMe’s with their participants and have a communication calendar they follow each month. They are tasked with relaying messages about fundraising push days, tabling areas, dine-to-donates, etc.
Excited to participate, but still have some questions?
Of course! You do not have to fundraise in order to attend the event, but we encourage all participants to help us in creating the largest gift possible.
No! While Jagathon is a dance marathon, it is much more than dancing. The 10 hours are packed with games, meals, and Riley stories. Although we do dance, it is optional for you to do so.
No, it is not too late to join a team. If you want to be placed on a team or have a specific team in mind, please email Adam Volz, Director of Participant Relations.
Yes, of course! You can make your check out to Riley Children's Foundation. If you are donating on behalf of a Jagathon member, please include their name in the memo line.