FEBRUARY’S 2020-2021 MIRACLE MILLION CLUB INDUCTEES

The Miracle Million Club is a special group of corporate and media partners, Dance Marathon schools, and Extra Life supporters who individually raise more than $1 million for local children’s hospitals on an annual basis. Join us in celebrating the newest 2020-2021 Miracle Million Club members!

Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware started their fundraising year strong with the 23^rd annual Ace Shootout, raising $2.6 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This earned them a spot again in the Miracle Million Club for 2020. Ace’s fundraising efforts are just getting started for this year, with a number of in-store campaigns, corporate events, and vendor golf outings planned for the months to come. Participating Ace retailers support their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital each year through many national programs including Round Up For Kids, Ace Bucket Days, the World’s Finest Chocolate Candy Program and more to raise funds locally. In addition, many Ace Retailers and Ace Retail Support Centers host regional fundraising events each year ranging from 5K’s, ladies DIY nights, grill-off events, and employee sales. Since becoming a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals partner in 1991, Ace Hardware has raised more than $122 million for local hospitals across the country. This success stems from the creative fundraising efforts of the Ace Hardware Foundation and the generous contributions of Ace retailers, customers, vendor partners and team members.

BuckeyeThon

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is excited to welcome back The Ohio State University into the Miracle Million Club. Ohio State raised more than $1.6 million for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Hematology and Oncology floor. The funds raised through BuckeyeThon help provide psychosocial services to patients, as well as fund research trials and fellowships to find a cure for cancer. Led by president Nina Ryan, BuckeyeThon 2020 had another record-breaking year of participants, with more than 5,700 Ohio State students registering For The Kids. Thank you to the incredibly hard-working students, faculty, and staff at Ohio State to help make this event possible.

KALC/Denver Radiothon

Listeners of Denver’s Alice 105.9 (KALC-FM) have come through yet again, giving the Colorado community over one million reasons to be grateful. The two-day, 24-hour marathon broadcast has come to a close, with $1.4 million being raised by generous listeners and fans of the Entercom Communications radio station, alongside on-site donors at the event including volunteers and Children’s Hospital Colorado employees.

The 19th Annual Alice Cares for Kids Radiothon was another amazing success. This year’s $1.4 million donated will be designated to Children’s Colorado’s Children’s Fund, which is allocated to the hospital’s greatest area of need as determined by executive leadership and medical staff. This includes treatment, equipment, research, family services, and much more.

University of Connecticut – HuskyTHON

Since 1999, the HuskyTHON Dance Marathon at the University of Connecticut has been breaking records and they continued this trend in 2020 raising $1,520,234.89. Over 3,000 students danced for 18 hours straight to raise money for Connecticut Children’s. For the past 21 years, HuskyTHON Dance Marathon, New England’s largest student-run philanthropy, has been growing exponentially. HuskyTHON is a moving experience. The students who participate say, “We dance for those who can’t. We stand for kids who can’t.”

The money raised helps give kids in the area a fighting chance against life-threatening illness and their efforts are working. This year HuskyTHON pledged to “Brighten Tomorrow” with the mission to better the lives of the kids, families, doctors, nurses, and staff at Connecticut Children’s as well as inspire their campus to use today to create an everlasting impact on the life of someone else. The HuskyTHON community has increased their fundraising efforts and expectations in order to push the limits of what they thought to be possible.

HuskyTHON can’t do this alone, and we are so thankful for all of the participants, donors, team members, and supporters who made this year possible!

University of Georgia – UGA Miracle

UGA Miracle celebrated their 25^th anniversary on Saturday, February 22^nd to Sunday, February 23^rd, with their 25-hour Dance Marathon event. They launched their yearlong campaign, Ignite the Light, in support of the kids and families treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Their funds support Children’s Rehab Services for the first $1 million raised and any funds raised over $1 million support the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. To date, the organization has raised over $11 million for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and funded special projects like the rehabilitation gym and the new aquatic therapy pool, which is home to one of the only pediatric aquatic therapy pools in the Southeast.

A huge thank you to the student body at the University of Georgia for their continued commitment to improve the lives of the kids and families treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and for their 25 years of being a Miracle Network Dance Marathon partner.

University of South Carolina – USCDM

USC Dance Marathon celebrated their 22^nd year at the University of South Carolina on February 29^th to March 1^st, with their 14-hour event at Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center. The organization announced their yearlong campaign efforts, More Than, for their 22^nd year, and vowed to be #MoreThan just a student organization on their campus. They were able to successfully raise $1,016,822 this year in support of Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Midlands. USC Dance Marathon currently fully funds the Child Life Program at PHCH-Midlands (over $525,000+ per year) and assists with funding special projects throughout the hospital. To date, the organization has contributed over $6.5 million to their hospital. The most recent project they are helping fund is the Dance Marathon at the University of South Carolina Playground. The playground will offer specialty-designed equipment that will accommodate IV poles, wheelchairs, and hospital beds, and create a safe, outdoor play space for patients and siblings to promote the healing process.

Thank you to the University of South Carolina Dance Marathon and the UofSC community for the 22 years of being a Miracle Network Dance Marathon partner.

Walmart

Every day Walmart and Sam’s Club #helpkidslivebetter, through their partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Since becoming a partner in 1987 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates have dedicated themselves to supporting their local children’s hospitals. Associates rally around children’s hospitals by hosting year-round fundraising events, asking for donations at the register and volunteering at their children’s hospital to not only give funds but also time.

This year the in-store Walmart and Sam’s Club campaign will be on June 22^nd to July 19^th. We invite you to join Walmart and Sam’s Club to help even more kids live better. Walmart and Sam’s Club associate year-round impact can be seen by clicking here.

Thank you Walmart and Sam’s Club for giving kids the chance to get back to being kids and for changing children’s healthcare and changing the future for children.

Thank you to our newest members of the Miracle Million Club!