Dance United raises over $27,000 for United Way
Several faculty, students and volunteers brought their energy to the dance floor in order to help raise over $27,000 for nonprofits in Isabella County Thursday night for the fourth annual Dance United charity event.
McGuirk Arena was converted into a dance floor for the event, with ten teams of two dancers taking to the stage. Tables of VIP seating sat close to the stage and the seats that normally hold basketball fans held supporters of a different kind of exertion.
A team of two educators, Health Sciences Professor Tom Kozal and Ganiard Elementary School teacher Nicki Schlicht said it was "thrilling" to perform in front of a crowd that contained some of their students.
"We both love to perform, so it was exciting and we didn't want it to be over," Schlicht said.
Kozal offered over 400 students extra credit to attend the event because he wanted them to support their community, a common reason for his extra credit assignments.
"I thought it was really funny seeing Mr. (Thomas) Kozal on the dance floor, our healthy lifestyles professor," said Grand Ledge freshman Colleen Simon. "He was a really good dancer."
Dance United is the largest local fundraiser for United Way.The funds will go towards aiding other service programs in the community, like the Isabella soup Kitchen, Hopewell Ranch, Big Brother, Big Sister and Girls on the Run.
Each team did more than just practice a routine devised by their coach, they were also competing to raise the most cash for United Way. With a goal of $1,000, most earned well over that amount.
The top team raised $6,205, just under a quarter of the number raised for the event by Thursday night.
The official amount raised for the evening blew past the event's goal to raise $15,000.
Stan Shingles, director of the University Recreation's Office, said the goal wasn't an intentional low-ball even though about $27,000 were raised in 2014 as well.
"We really aren't under-achievers, we just thought that there were some things that happened last year that were a little bit of an anomaly," Shingles said. "The university's fundraising including tonight's totals is in excess of $100,000 in four years for United Way and Isabella County."
