On December 1st Dance Marathon recently hosted its third annual dodgeball tournament, and it was a success. The event created a sense of community to Westside High School’s gym.

“This is our third year doing a dodgeball tournament. In past years, we had really low participation, so we were really excited this year when five teams showed up with about 10-14 people per team. There were free donuts, and everyone seemed to have a great time cheering on the teams and dancing to the music. Our dodgeball event is super awesome because it builds community and brings together high school students and encourages them to work together for a common goal,” Cora Dietrich, co-president of Dance Marathon said.

This year’s tournament also introduced a loser’s bracket. Swim and Dive decided to make a team and were in the losers bracket and actually made a comeback and won the finals, adding a twist to the tournament.

“Getting to do the dodgeball tournament was a really fun bonding experience for the swim team. The boys’ team and the girls team normally divide for a lot of activities, so having the two teams come together for an activity like this was an awesome opportunity for both of us” Cooper Stiles, a member of the swim team.

The tournament raised nearly $500, which will go toward the organization’s $50,000 fundraising goal to contribute to the Cardiac Care Unit at Children’s Nebraska Hospital.

On December 13th, Dance Marathon are encouraging all members of the Westside community to come out and decorate gingerbread houses!

“We are so thankful for all of the community support we receive as an organization and we are excited to keep reaching toward our fundraising goal of $50,000 for Children’s Nebraska Hospital this year” Cora Dietrich said.

Let’s go out and continue to support our Dance Marathon reach their goal!