Saint Mary’s Dance Marathon hosted a trivia night Wednesday as a part of Riley Week to raise funds for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Senior Christa McColl, co-executive chair of Dance Marathon’s fundraising committee, said trivia night kicked off with a story about a child who received treatment at Riley Hospital.
“[Riley stories] are important to show so people know why we are doing all of [these] events,” McColl said. “I hope people realize what we are inspired by and why we work so hard for the kids.”
Senior Erin Nanovic, co-executive chair of Dance Marathon’s fundraising committee, said trivia nights have become widely attended in the South Bend area.
“A lot of friends have been going to [trivia nights] off campus, and we thought we could do one on campus as a great opportunity to raise money for Riley,” Nanovic said.
The event cost $2 per person or $10 for a team of four to eight participants, Nanovic said.
McColl said she was happy with the turnout.
“We’re really excited about all the people that came out to support Riley,” she said. “There were some people from [the] community and Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame students.”
Nanovic said Riley Week promotes the importance of Riley Hospital and puts the April 5 Dance Marathon on students’ radars.
“Riley Week gets the [Saint Mary’s] community excited for the cause and allows them to see how much fun it can be to be a part of something that gives back to the Indiana community,” she said.
Nanovic said Dance Marathon combined with Yoga Club on Tuesday to offer a yoga sculpt class with all funds going to Riley Hospital. Wednesday night, Dance Marathon partnered with Chipotle on Eddy Street for a “give-back night,” on which 50 percent of the proceeds went to Riley Hospital.
“The Chipotle Give-Back Night is an opportunity to appeal to the wider community,” Nanovic said. “Hopefully, families in the areas, Notre Dame and Holy Cross students that don’t see the [Dance Marathon] efforts all the time on Saint Mary’s campus will support it.”
McColl said Dance Marathon will set up a table in the dining hall Friday where students can make Valentine’s Day cards that will be delivered to Riley Hospital.
“Riley Week has been well supported, and we have been really excited about the turnout at all events,” she said. “We hope that students understand what this great cause supports.”
