MEDIA CONTACT: Judy Moore at (847) 491-4819 or jkm229@northwestern.edu

February 24, 2004

2004 Dance Marathon to Raise Funds for Autism

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Autistic children and their families will be the main focus of the 500 dancers who will crowd the floor of the Louis Room at Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston campus, during the 30th annual Dance Marathon at Northwestern University.

Dance Marathon begins at 7 p.m. Friday, March 5, and concludes at 1 a.m. Sunday, March 7.

This year’s primary beneficiary is Have Dreams, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of autistic children and their families through training and structured teaching.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) will be Dance Marathon’s secondary beneficiary and will continue to receive 7.5 percent of the total funds raised to help fund projects and programs proposed by local not-for-profit organizations serving Evanston.

The majority of dancers will be undergraduate students, but seven faculty members and one of their spouses will join the fun. The annual 30-hour event is co-chaired this year by Northwestern students Justin Ballheim and Margot Bonner.

Dance Marathon, one of the world’s largest collegiate philanthropies, has raised nearly $6 million for various charities since it began in 1975.

The 30th annual Dance Marathon is expected to attract thousands of visitors to Norris Center to watch and cheer on the dancers and participate in a variety of fund-raising activities that range from a capella, hypnotist, dance and comedy show performances to children’s games, craft opportunities, professional hair cuts, massages and makeovers, and yoga, martial arts and hip-hop classes. These and other fund-raising events are open to the public.

Last year, Dance Marathon raised $462,000 for the Chicago Urban Youth Scholarship Fund, an endowment that provides high school scholarships for students in Midtown Educational Foundation’s (MEF) College Orientation program, the primary beneficiary, and for the Evanston Community Foundation, the secondary beneficiary.

Norris University Center will be closed from 2 to 8 a.m. Saturday, March 6, and will close again at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, March 7, half an hour after the conclusion of Dance Marathon.

For more information about the Have Dreams organization and for updated information on the fund-raising events at Norris University Center during Dance Marathon weekend, go to the Dance Marathon Web site at www.nudm.org.