News : Vinton freshman Dedrick among UNI Dance Marathon committee members; event set for March 4

As a middle school student, Amanda Dedrick was a member of the Vinton-Shellsburg Junior Journalism class whensome of her friends in the class wrote an article for Vinton Today entitled "Crushing Cancer with Caleb." The students told the story of classmate Caleb Stewart, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma aroundThanksgiving of 2009. Caleb spent the next year in hospitals, fighting the disease. The students at Tilford Middle School rallied around him with a variety of events and fund-raisers. Caleb beat cancer, and was able celebrate his five-year cancer free milestone two years ago. Amanda, now a freshman at UNI, is Caleb's girlfriend. Amanda has joined theFamily Relations Committee of the student-led Dance Marathon, helping to organize and promote the event that raises money to help children fight disease at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Amanda said she became involved after attending meetings with Caleb about the fund-raiser. "I was inspired by the incredible impact Dance Marathon made in the lives of children who had no choice but to endure numerous doctor visits, chemo and radiation treatments, and surgeries," she says. A variety of children's health concerns have received attention at the UNI Dance Marathon, which started in 2012. That year, Olivia Spencer of Vinton was the guest of honor as the college students learned about Olivia's congenital heart defect. The annual Dance Marathon is one of many ways UNI and its students are reaching out to help cure childhood diseases. This year, the event takes place from noon to midnight on Saturday, March 4. Dance Marathon is the largest student-run philanthropy on the UNIcampus, raising money for the U of I Children's Hospital. "UNI contributed $600,000 to the new U of I Children's Hospital to sponsor three rooms," says Amanda. See Amanda's Dance Marathon donor page HERE. See the UNI Dance Marathon page HERE.