CONTACT: Doug Carlson
(850) 645-1255
doug.carlson@med.fsu.edu

Nov. 2, 2009

Dance Marathon at Florida State University and Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida has presented a check for $182,456.42 to the FSU College of Medicine for the benefit of children throughout Gadsden and Leon counties.

The proceeds are part of the $384,000 raised in 2009 by Dance Marathon, the largest student-run philanthropy on the FSU campus. Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Children’s Hospital at UF distributes part of the money raised to the FSU College of Medicine for use in pediatric outreach programs.

The College of Medicine is using part of the proceeds to pay for a school-based health program in Gadsden County designed to address health care disparities among area children. Other projects funded by the Dance Marathon earnings include equipment for the pediatrics unit at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, as well as College of Medicine research projects aimed at curbing childhood obesity and its resulting Type 2 diabetes.

Participating in the signing ceremony were Dr. John P. Fogarty, dean of the FSU College of Medicine; Dr. Rick Bucciarelli, associate vice president for health affairs for government relations, professor and associate chairman of the department of pediatrics at the University of Florida; members of the FSU Dance Marathon overall committee; and FSU medical students who are part of the Pediatrics Interest Group.