Marshall University Greek life members will dance for 24 hours from 2 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday to raise funds for Hoops Family Children Hospital during the Thunder Dance Marathon.

The event will take place at the Cam Henderson Center.

The funds will benefit children with chronic illnesses and cancer research.

According to Amber Cunningham, fundraising chair of the committee, the reason the show is 24 hours is to represent children who face a lifetime of chemo or illness.

Each hour of the event has a different theme including a rave, Disney, international and many secret hours.

The international event will feature Marshall INTO students showing dances, and music from their native countries.

Participants can play games like flip cup with coffee at 5 a.m. to keep them awake.

Each dancer has to raise $100 to donate to the organization in order to dance in the event.

Cunningham said 37 sisters from her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, are participating at the event as a part of Greek Week.

Cunningham said the committee hopes the event will raise awareness and be even bigger next year.

A brother and sister, Michelle and Scott Studeny, both medical students at Marshall, founded the event.

They attended a similar fundraising event in the United Kingdom, Dance Blue, and brought it to Marshall.

Caitlin Fowlkes can be contacted at [email protected].