STORRS, Connecticut — Wednesday marked the beginning (and end) of the "Day of Strength" at the University of Connecticut, where students are hoping to raise $250,000 in 24 hours.
It's the largest single-day fundraiser for HuskyTHON, which takes place on April 2. All of the money raised Wednesday and at the 18-hour dance marathon goes straight to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.
"Last year, Connecticut Children's cared for more than 120,000 different babies, kids, teens, and young adults. And we wouldn't be able to do that without philanthropy like what they raise through HuskyTHON," said Mana Zarinejad, Vice President of Corporate and Foundation Relations with Connecticut Children's.
For nearly two decades, HuskyTHON leaders at UConn have raised millions of dollars for kids battling childhood illness. Each year, they invite miracle children from Connecticut Children's and dance and play games with them for 18 hours to show them they're there to support them.
"You just have this sort of unbreakable bond when you see the impact that you’re making when we raise that final total and you know that you contributed to something so much bigger than yourself," said Rachel Lamore, Vice President of Communications for HuskyTHON 2022.
Last year, HuskyTHON went virtual and only campus leaders were at the event. However, the students still managed to raise $1.5 million.
On top of that, they held virtual game nights throughout the year, inviting the 27 miracle children to join in on the fun. It was a life-saving option for Stephanie Scanlon and her 11-year-old daughter, Joyanna.
"HuskyTHON is a big part of our life. It’s not just one day, it’s year-round," Scanlon said.
Stephanie and Joyanna have been a part of HuskyTHON for about four years. Joyanna remembers her first time at the event.
"It was like amazing, I was happy," Joyanna Scanlon said.
Joyanna was born with a life-threatening autoimmune disorder called Common Variable Immune Deficiency. She's been in and out of the hospital since she was a baby.
"Within the last two years, we've been able to stabilize her. So she's not having those cases of pneumonia or bronchitis that require hospitalization. But before, she used to have them all the time. We were in the hospital...it was our home away from home," Stephanie said.
It's why HuskyTHON has been so vital for Joyanna, to allow her to be a kid and forget about the hospital visits.
"Our patients and our miracle families experience the times of their lives, they often say it’s the most magical weekend they’ve ever experienced," Zarinejad said.
It's the whole reason UConn students spend all year fundraising, and why they're making this last push on Wednesday to reach $250,000 by midnight.
HuskyTHON is on April 2 from 6 a.m. to midnight. It's being held on campus outside on the founders green.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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