Stanford Dance Marathon

Mission
Stanford Dance Marathon's mission is to educate, inspire, and mobilize the community to combat HIV/AIDS and support international health, culminating in a 24-hour dance-a-thon. Each year hundreds of student participants stay awake and on their feet for 24 hours in a pledged act of solidarity, paying homage to those facing the mental and physical challenges of AIDS every day.
About Stanford Dance Marathon
Stanford Dance Marathon is largest student-run philanthropic event at Stanford University and in the Bay Area. Each year hundreds of students raise money and stay on their feet for twenty-four hours, an act of solidarity, to pay homage to those facing the mental and physical challenges of AIDS every day.
The first Stanford Dance Marathon was led by co-chairs Sanjay Shah and Pat Bomhack in 2005. The event was held in Roble Gym. At the time the beneficiary was Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation . Since then the number of participants has increased from 260 students to over 1,000 students, which made it necessary to move the event to the Stanford Arillaga Alumni center in 2007. Dance Marathon 2007 rose over $150,893, tripling the amount raised in the 2006 Dance Marathon. Since 2005, Stanford Dance Marathon has raised over $380,000 for their beneficiaries.
Beneficiaries
Stanford Dance Marathon’s sole beneficiary since 2006 has been Partners in Health (PIH). PIH is a non-profit organization that provides modern medical care to the poorest developing countries through its community-based approach. PIH employs community members as paid health care supervisors in an effort to establish sustainable, local care. The organization is known for its achievements in treating and preventing illnesses such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS, while establishing the nutrition, sanitation, and housing standards that make their efforts long-lasting. Founded in 1987 in Haiti, PIH now operates throughout the developing world.
In 2009, Stanford Dance Marathon adopted a secondary beneficiary from the Bay Area, which received 10% of the event's proceeds.
=="Fight Now. Fight Together" Campaign==
Stanford Dance Marathon and another HIV/AIDS organization, Stanford FACE AIDS, are working together in 2008/2009 in a “Fight Now, Fight Together” campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness. Stanford FACE AIDS, which was started in 2005 by three Stanford undergraduates, works to raise funds and promote awareness within the student community about HIV/AIDS. FACE AIDS chapters now exist in more than 85 universities across the country. This collaborative, year-long campaign will incorporate student groups, community members, and local businesses to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, which is often surrounded by stigma and misconception.
Stanford Dance Marathon 2009
Stanford Dance Marathon 2009 will take place in the Arillaga Alumni Center from 1:00 PM on February 14 to 1:00 PM on February 15. The event will also include Family Day, a carnival event that promotes international health awareness through games and activities for children. Since Dance Marathon 2008, three directors and a team of 22 executives have been working around the clock in preparation for the 2009 event.

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