On Saturday, Feb. 22, hundreds of participants took part in the 24th annual Jagathon in the Campus Center. For 10 hours, we danced, sang, fundraised, played games, bought merchandise and listened to stories. But most importantly, we became one team creating more miracles for the kiddos at Riley Hospital for Children.
The Jagathon main event kicked off at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. The first hour consisted of the executive board run-in, a speech from the Office of the Mayor, the Morale Committee showcasing the eight-minute Morale dance and the start of Color Wars.
Riley Chief Medical Officer Mara Nitu also gave a speech during this time. The Riley kids paraded through the marathon with their Color Captains and participants got to hear a Riley story from our Riley kiddos, Samantha and Miles.
The first fundraising push and the first morale teach rounded out the first hour and led into the second hour of the main event, where participants learned about Color Wars for the day. Up next were the lip sync performances.
Congratulations to all of the lip sync participants, but especially Delta Zeta for winning the 2025 Jagathon Lip Sync Battle! We finished out the second hour and entered the third hour with the lunch rotation, a Riley story from Abbey, a speech from Jackie Moeller, CCLS and another Morale teach.
Hungry Hungry Hippos was the next event of the day. Xiphos Corps then hit the stage for an amazing performance. Lastly, to finish out the third hour, Reagan shared her Riley story.
The fourth hour kicked off second fundraising push, followed by the next Morale teach and an update on Color Wars. Rachel Swinford then hit the stage for an energetic Zumba class. Next, we had one of our most favorite parts of Jagathon — our Run to Riley!
Run to Riley participants started at the Campus Center and ran to Riley Hospital for Children and back. After returning to the Campus Center, runners "made their mark" on Jagathon 2025 by placing a paint mark on our 2025 Jagathon canvas.
After lunch, the fifth hour of our event was jam-packed with fun activities! We started off strong with entertainment and water pong. Then, it was another Riley story brought to us by Dallas and the fifth Morale teach of the day.
The sixth hour of the event started with giving away some awards. The Joseph C. Franklin Participant of the Year Award went to Dulce Mendez, the Pete Hunter Committee Member of the Year Award went to Mary Blankman and the Ali Emsweiler Chair of the Year Award went to Alex Wade. Congratulations to all our award winners! Your hard work and dedication for Jagathon does not go unnoticed.
The Dazzling Diamonds then took the stage for a killer dance performance. After a Color Wars update and a Riley story from Lilly, it was time for the third fundraising push of the day. Morale then took the stage for another teach, followed by the Riley Kiddo fashion show.
The seventh hour of the event started with a fan favorite — silent disco! For those who don’t know, Jagathon partnered with four high school dance marathons, including Ben Davis, Noblesville, New Palestine, and Westfield High Schools. These schools collectively raised $123,952.89 for miracles this year. We could not be prouder of you all!
Following the reveal, we had another Riley story brought to us by Ashley. After a Color Wars update, it was time for the fourth fundraising push of the day. The final morale teaching of the night followed, and the crowd worked hard to ensure they knew all the dance moves for the final performance.
At 6 p.m., it was time to introduce the graduating executive board: Hiba Asad, Diya Chaudri, Ashley Combs, Spencer Creed, Nicole Cremasco, Montana Crossman, Lauren Francher, Ashley Higgins, Jennah Jones, Sri Parvatha, Brennan Patterson and Kate Wagner. The crowd cheered as each exec member stepped forward and was recognized for their hard work. The executive board then performed the alumni dance.
After the graduating exec ceremony, it was time for the Candlelight Ceremony, a somber moment during the main event when an angel family talks about their child who has passed away. This emotional moment really resonated with participants.
At 7 p.m., it was time for the hair-cutting ceremony. Shoutout to exec board members Kaelynn Stallard and Jordan Small for taking the stage to have their hair cut. After the ceremony, we announced more awards. The Sarah Dargatz Inspiration Award went to Rebekah Johnson and the Keith Anliker Supporter of the Year Award went to Mia Miller. Shoutout to these two for all the amazing work they have done for Jagathon!
Next up was some water pong and another Riley story by Leo and Addyson. The Color Wars winners were also announced — shoutout to the Green Team for winning Color Wars!
The final Morale dance followed, with the Morale committee leading everyone through one last run-through of the routine. To round out the hour, it was time for Circle of Hope. Everyone stood in a circle and had their hospital bracelets cut off while the Presidential Board read the "whys" of participants.
After this, the recap video played, highlighting the past 10 hours of the event. The executive board then walked on stage with number boards. The air was anxious as the number cards flipped. As people cheered and cried, it was revealed that Jagathon 2025 had raised $227,233.26!
This incredible amount will help create so many miracles. Chancellor Ramchand then took the stage to thank everyone for attending and wrapped up Jagathon 2025.
2025 was such a special year for Jagathon. Thanks to all the hard work of everyone involved who made so many miracles possible.