Dance Marathon, a fundraiser put on by high school and college students in DeKalb, raised $35,061 on Saturday.

Dance marathon is a 10-hour event where participants have to stay on their feet and dance, walk, play games or even get the chance to interact with patients and their families. This event raises money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Junior history major Danielle Dyra said there was one goal in mind for the event.

“This year we had more activities going on throughout the event,” Dyra said. “Our main goal is to be up on our feet for those children who can’t, so we tried some new things to keep the energy up, and I think it worked out really well.”

Many organizations were involved and competed against each other to see who could donate the most to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

Tiara Burn, freshman corporate communication major, said she was proud of her sorority’s hard work in raising money.

“I am a part Delta Zeta and our three teams combined won first place for raising the most amount of money,” Burn said. “We received a plaque and a certificate of recognition for [being the] top fundraising team.”

Sophomore marketing major Tobi Balogun said he enjoyed the different activities the event provided.

“There were a lot of things to do while we were there,” Balogun said.

Dance marathon was put on for the first time at NIU three years ago and it continues to grow. There is an increasing awareness every year for dance marathon and as the motto goes, it’s all “for the kids.”