raiseRED dance marathon raises thousands for childhood cancer fight

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    LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’s time to shake it for a good cause. The University of Louisville student group raiseRED kicks off its 18-hour dance marathon Feb. 22 to fight pediatric cancer and blood disorders.

    About 1,000 dancers will try to raise more than $601,000, the record-breaking amount collected last year.   

    The dance marathon starts at 6 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Swain Student Activities Center. The night is a mix of dancing, patient testimonials and special guests to keep the dancers energized and focused on how their participation makes a difference. There also will be a kid talent show in which children from the pediatric cancer clinic get to show off their special talents.

    The public is invited to take part Feb. 23 in the 10:30 a.m.-noon Community Celebration, which culminates in the grand reveal of the total number of dollars raised.

    All funds from raiseRED go to research and patient care at the UofL Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.

    Student dancers have been split into teams, and each member collects pledges of support. In addition, the dance marathon is supported by Papa John’s, Kosair Charities, UPS and Churchill Downs.

    Learn more at raisered.org. To make a donation, go to raisered.org/donate.

    #WeAreUofL

    EDITORS: Photos from raiseRED 2018 are available for download here.

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    Niki King
    Niki King Jones is positive she has the best job at the University of Louisville, serving the communication needs of the departments of fine arts and theatre, the School of Music, University Libraries and Alumni – all the fun, creative stuff. Before coming to UofL in 2015, Niki held communication positions in both private and nonprofit sectors in Louisville, Ky., including at Heaven Hill Distilleries and the Jewish Community of Louisville. For 10 years prior, she was a reporter at various newspapers across the country, most recently The Courier-Journal. Niki graduated from the University of Memphis with a BA in journalism and has a masters degree in community and leadership development from the University of Kentucky.