Mississippi College Dance Marathon Boosts Blair Batson Children’s Hospital

Mississippi College student Madi Hall of Madison plays a game with patient Max Grimaldo of the Blair Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson.

Mississippi College’s Dance Marathon seeks to raise $15,000 to benefit the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson.

The December 2 event on the Clinton campus will combine six hours of dancing, attract a live DJ, and special guest like Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis. The Wednesday evening event at the A.E. Wood Coliseum begins at 6 p.m. and wraps up at midnight.

“It ends up being a memorable night for the students who are making a difference and for the patient families who feel like rock stars,” says Andrew Russell, the Children’s Miracle Network coordinator at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

The University of Mississippi was the first school in the state to launch a Dance Marathon. The Ole Miss student-led events generated over $112,000 for UMMC’s Blair Batson Children’s Hospital. The University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi College are the two newest schools to join in. USM and Ole Miss will host their dance marathons on February 18.

Russell says he’s excited to see MC students help a great cause and join the partnership with Blair Batson Children’s Hospital.

Mississippi College junior Sam Stevens is elated to be part of the university’s first dance marathon. “I have seen the things the Blair E. Batson Hospital has done for the community,” says the Ridgeland resident. “I wanted to contribute to their cause. The Dance Marathon is a great way to pour back into the hospital financially.”

Organizers of the Mississippi College Dance Marathon will invite other special guests to the Clinton campus. They will include Jordan Morgan, this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospital Champion. Despite being born with cerebral palsy and told he would never be able to walk, Jordan loves to dance. An inspiration to others, the Clinton boy wants to pursue a career in movies and music.

Nearly 20 years ago, the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital opened with pediatric intensive care facilities, units for the care of ill newborns, and a variety of other services to treat injured or sick children. The hospital was named for Dr. Blair Batson, the first chairman of pediatrics at UMMC from 1955 through 1989.

MC students like Madi Hall of Madison, Peyton Pope of Gulfport and Sydney Jones of Hurley stayed busy staffing tables at the university cafeteria to spread the word about the Dance Marathon.

This week, about three dozen MC students signed up to participate. Some will perform music at the event. Many more are expected to put on their dancing shoes that Wednesday in early December. MC students are promoting the event on Twitter and Facebook. They are seeking sponsors to donate to the cause.

For more information, contact MC’s Rebecca Benson at rbenson@mc.edu