Hello friends and family!
Thank you so much for first visiting my page! This upcoming fall I will doing my second Indiana University Dance Marathon where I and thousands of other IU students will be dancing, listening to Riley stories, playing games, and raising money for Riley Hospital for Children. I am so exciting to be doing another year of IUDM with my favorite people in the world on the Riley Development committee!
Riley Hospital for Children continues to amaze me every day with it's passion and love for all of it's kids. I really could not think of a greater cause to be apart of and suppport.
IUDM began with trying to complete a $10 million endowment for the Infectious Disease Center in honor of Ryan White. This goal was completed 5 years ago and it is now financially self-sustaining! All of our money now is divided up with 75% going to research and 25% going to clinical programming.
Our two inspirations for dancing are Ryan White and Ashley Louise Crouse.
Ryan was an Indiana native who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion. As a born Hoosier, he always dreamed of going to IU and was actually planning to go there before he passed away. Ryan White died on April 8th, 1990, and IUDM was created in honor of him and the legacy he left behind for all kids battling illness.
Ashley was a member our the IUDM Executive Council who passed away after tragically being hit by a drunk driver on her way home from an IUDM meeting. Ashley's passion and light she brought to this world was a amazing bright one, we dance and raise money for Riley in her legacy each and every day.
I wish I could explain in words how much IUDM means to me. It shaped me to be who I am today, and makes me want to be a better person with every opportunity I get. The people I am surrounded with in my IUDM and Riley Development family inspire me unlike anyone before. I am so thankful to be involved in this cause and hope you will be able to see and feel this passion also.
Once again, thank you for visiting my page!
FTK. RW. ALC
Carly
