OttoTHON 2023 – Philanthropy and Performance Coming Together for A Purpose

OttoTHON at Syracuse University is just one piece of a larger international movement of students fighting for a future without childhood illness. Hundreds of Dance Marathon programs throughout North America raise funds and awareness for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. OttoTHON supports Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital which is right up the road from our campus, in the heart of central New York.

OttoTHON, Syracuse’s largest student-run philanthropy event, provides financial support for the children and families who receive care at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. The twelve-hour dance marathon marked OttoTHON’s annual fundraiser event on March 5, 2023. All of the proceeds from OttoTHON go to the hospital. Along with dancing, OttoTHON’s fundraiser event featured a variety of activities for Syracuse students and children of the community such as miniature ball-pits and a competitive water pong tournament. Over the course of OttoTHON’s twelve-hour duration, several of the hospital’s nominated Miracle Kids got to join in the spotlight on stage, sharing their stories with Syracuse’s participating students and faculty. This year, OttoTHON raised a rewarding $103,849.97!

Participants and students will tell you the true rewards of the dance marathon were the relationships made between the students and children, whose lives will forever be changed by the donations (which Since 2014, have exceeded $1 million for the patients and families at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital here in Syracuse).

Here’s a glimpse of the spirit, generosity and excitement that encircled the twelve hours of programming at the Schine Student Center.