To the Editor:
I am writing to express my disappointment in The Dartmouth's failure to cover the Dance Marathon, which occurred over the weekend to benefit the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. I know a number of people who have dedicated themselves to the planning of the event for the past several months. A core group of people worked an unbelievable number of hours, setting themselves to the task at hand, heart and soul. Along with the help of people from CHaD, community members, and other Dartmouth students, they planned every last detail. They arranged 14 hours of entertainment, found sponsors, obtained funding, and spread the word about the event. In my opinion, they did an excellent job! I attended the marathon and had the most fun I have had in a long time. I also saw many other people who seemed to be enjoying themselves equally as much. Dancers ranged from Dartmouth students to community members to kids from CHaD and their families to the kids visiting for North Country Weekend. It was a great mix of people coming together and having a good time for a good cause. I would call the event a HUGE success!
So, along came Monday morning. The first thing I did at work was reach for "The D" to see the article celebrating the success of the Dance Marathon, which I was positive would be there. Nope, not on the front cover. I flipped through all the pages ... twice. There wasn't even a captioned picture. After all the hard work and effort that went into planning and carrying out the event, after all the people who attended, after all the fun, after all the good that was done in getting people to recognize the name CHaD ... not a single word. I think "The D" definitely dropped the ball on this one. The Dance Marathon was a great example of the Dartmouth and surrounding communities unifying to have fun and work toward a common goal.
In closing, I would like to congratulate all the organizers and the dancers on their accomplishment this past weekend. You served as a great example of how members of the Dartmouth community can draw together for an excellent cause. Thank you. I'm already looking forward to next year and the Second Annual Dance Marathon to benefit CHaD!
