Students Have Big Hearts For RebelTHON

RebelTHON is part of a national movement called Miracle Network Dance Marathon where students from all over the country fundraise money all year to donate to their local children’s hospital. To cap off and celebrate their fundraising year there is an event where participants stand on their feet for a total of 12 hours while dancing and singing.

Ole Miss’s RebelTHON has raised over $90,000 for the Children’s Miracle Hospitals in the past three years.

John Larkin, a senior at Ole Miss from St. Louis, Missouri, has been a part of this event since it began.

“My freshman year I wanted to test it out, and I loved the event,” Larkin said. “These past two years, I have been a director. I kind of fell in love. I have had friends that have had cancer throughout the years, and I think just seeing them being able to deal with that sacrifice, I really wanted to be able to find a way to give back to them. So, RebelTHON was kind of that emotional tie to those friends. It was my way of giving back to them.”

This year RebelTHON is aiming to raise $60,000 for Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. Last year, they raised over $40,000 through their events.

This week is RebelTHON Spirit Week on campus. Monday, they hosted “Yoga in the Grove.” Tuesday, they hosted “Thankful for our dancers.” Wednesday, the “Pie-a-Rebel” event took place, where students could throw a whipped-cream pie into their fellow students’ faces. Students were able to raise $7,093.50 Wednesday, which is the largest donation day in RebelTHON history.

“I loved that I got to pie two of my friends in the face and give money to help the kids at Blair E. Batson,” said Nick Vonder Haar, a student from Brandon, Mississippi. “It really was a great event.”

The event for Thursday was held in front of the student union. There was a chalkboard set up where students could write why they choose to dance and get involved in RebelTHON.

“To me, RebelTHON means being passionate about the community you find yourself in, taking the love you’ve found in the world and passing it on to the other and continually seeking to serve others with the gifts and talents you have been blessed with,” said Rob Barber, a founding member of RebelTHON. “Those are the values I see RebelTHON live out every day, and it’s one of the reasons I am proud to stand for those who can’t.”

This year RebelTHON will be Friday, Feb. 19 in the Turner Center on campus. Students can sign up to participate on their website at rebelthon.org.

Frances Phillips is a senior print journalism major at the Meek School of Journalism and New Media. She can be reached at fnphilli@go.olemiss.edu.

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