Dance Marathon
Join the movement!
Dance Marathon is a year-round, student-led philanthropic effort, empowering K-12 and college students to make a difference for other kids right in their local community. The year culminates in a day-long celebratory event, Dance Marathon! The day is full of fun games, celebrating our Duke Children’s patient families, lots of dancing, and sharing in the impact of one generation fighting for the next.
Dance Marathon has raised over $4.8 million for Duke Children's since 2003.
2025-2026 Events:
- Miracle at Duke: January 30, 2026
- Raleighthon at NC State: March 7, 2026
- UNC-Wilmington Dubthon: March 22, 2026
- Elonthon at Elon University: April 11, 2026
Dance Marathon is entirely student-led: committed and passionate college and K-12 students raise funds from family and friends to support their local CMN Hospital. Dance Marathon began in 1991 at Indiana University, when a group of students fundraised to support pediatric health care and has expanded to over 400 campuses across the nation.
Duke Children’s currently supports four partner programs: Miracle at Duke (Duke University, Durham); Dubthon (UNC-Wilmington, Wilmington); Elonthon (Elon University, Burlington); and Dance Marathon at NC State (NC State, Raleigh). Elonthon is Duke Children’s longest-running Dance Marathon; it recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and has raised over $3.4 million for Duke Children’s.
Want to get involved? Are you a K-12 or college student and want to make an impact? Get your classmates together and reach out to Nicole Campbell, Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Coordinator, at nicole.campbell@duke.edu to get started.