Student Blog-Connor Gentry

I don’t have much of a sense of rhythm; I don’t particularly like dance music. Honestly, I don’t like dancing much at all. Good, now we’ve got that out of the way. My name is Connor Gentry and I am a junior at Hope studying engineering. I am now in my second year as a …

Student Blog- Seth Mika

“I didn’t begin my pregnancy journey thinking it would end with our baby in the NICU. Having a baby 6 weeks early was a very stressful experience. However, we couldn’t have been in a better hospital. The NICU is a very secured area. Every morning, I scanned my badge and signed my name in the …

Student Blog- Heidi Schaetzl

Hello friend!!! My name is Heidi Schaetzl and I’m a junior studying math elementary education. I hope to someday start a Dance Marathon program in the school where I teach, and someday to be a teacher in a children’s hospital for the kids who are there long term. I will drag every person I can …

Student Blog-Caitie Kieser

Hi hi!! My name is Caitie Kieser and I am a Junior at Hope studying Social Work. Asking me to write only one short blog about Dance Marathon and include every piece that I love and every way I have been impacted would quite literally be impossible. I would need more of a 20 part …

Guest Blog- Amy Berarducci

Would I ever wish for our family (or any family) to go through what we did?…Absolutely not. Do I think it changed us for the better as human beings?…Absolutely Mia’s story started when she was 1.5 years old (2005).  She was having trouble walking, frequently falling more than a typical toddler, eye movements, screaming and …

Student Blog-Seth Held

Hello! My name is Seth Held and I am a junior studying public accounting here at Hope College. It wasn’t until my second semester freshmen year that I really started to learn about Dance Marathon. After witnessing the enormous and selfless support for both families and the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital provided by Hope College …

Student Blog- Gina Schierbeek

Hi! I’m Gina Schierbeek, and I’m a junior here at Hope College. I’m studying a Management major with an Art minor. Of the many things that I love about being a student at Hope Col, Dance Marathon has got to be at the top. I began my love of DM my freshman year, when I …

Student Blog-Mikayla Hubley

“I have had so much fun this week, I forgot I had arthritis”. It’s words like these, from sweet children who are battling illness, that inspire me to be a part of Dance Marathon. It was at the event where I discovered my passion to care for children and families who are struggling with serious …

Student Blog-Rachel VanZytveld

Hello! My name is Rachel VanZytveld and I am a junior at Hope College. Here, I study Special Education with an emphasis on Learning Disabilities.  It is the best time of the year again; Dance Marathon is back in action and ready to roll! I first began as a dancer for Dance Marathon in March …

Student Blog-Abby Veldink

Hi! My name is Abby Veldink and I am a junior at Hope. Here, I study special education with the hope of working with students with behavior disorders or autism. My passion for people with special needs stems from growing up with two sisters with disabilities and complex medical needs. I have seen life out …