Six hours of dancing, live music, food and games: all for a good cause.

Wando Student Council is hosting the first Wando-Thon, a dance marathon raising money for the construction of the new MUSC Children’s Hospital, Shawn Jenkins, replacing the current and outdated hospital in 2019. The event will be held on Feb. 3.

The Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital would replace the old hospital, a building that does not have the resources or technology that Shawn Jenkins would be able to provide. The new hospital would bring a positive and much-needed change in the community, as well as for the families and patients.

Senior Connor Griffin, the leader of the effort, sees the potential that Wando-Thon can have on Community and Wando. In addition to providing for the community, Griffin sees it as a way to boost spirit and enhance the Wando experience.

“We need an event like this, we need something that can get school spirit back on track. We need something that can really utilize our size and the potential that we have and do something bigger than ourselves,” Griffin said. “We’ve never really had one Wando event where we fundraise and do something bigger than ourselves. Individual clubs do their own thing, but again, we never really had one event where anybody and everybody can come and join.”

In the coming weeks, fundraising will continue to increase, hopefully going above and beyond the $20,000 school-wide goal.

The easy method of fundraising, all online and through DonorDrive, allows family members and friends to donate to individual students or teams. Sharing to social media, emailing, and sending a text makes spreading the word and raising the minimum of $62 to participate a reachable goal.

To signup and dance, visit wandothon.weebly.com for more information!