Baldwin Wallace University hosted the annual Dance Marathon to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF) Saturday February 28. This year was a record breaking fundraising year with a collective $43,625.92 raised.
The mission of BW Dance Marathon is to unite the community in a tradition of hope that, one day, children infected with AIDS will be cured. The event is 12 straight hours of dancing to raise money for the EGPAF. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and community members all participated in this year’s event.
The EGPAF was established by an American AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser after her daughter, Ariel, died in 1988 from the illness. The work raised public awareness about HIV infection in children and research into mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
“My mother also received a blood transfusion after I was born, due to pregnancy complications.  It is a scary realization that what happened to Elizabeth and her daughter, could’ve happened to my mom and I,” senior participant, Lindsey Bertram, added, “I dance so that no family has to go through the pain and suffering that Elizabeth, her daughter, and the rest of her family went through.”
In addition to the twelve hours of dancing, the BWDM Steering Committee invited an ambassador for the EGPAF, Martha Cameron, her husband, and their three children to the event. Cameron spoke of her own struggle with AIDS and how the EGPAF helped her in her journey. Students and faculty were very moved by Cameron’s personal testimony.
The Urban Dance Association and the BW Dance Team also performed during the event and a  silent auction was held to raise more money.
Senior Annette Fetter, a four time BWDM participant, was amazed at the success of this year’s event, “The money we raise effects so many people day in and day out and we are making an impact on the world as we fight towards an AIDS-free generation.”