Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is thrilled to announce HuskyTHON at the University of Connecticut as the Dance Marathon Partner of the Year!

The Dance Marathon Partner of the Year award recognizes outstanding strategic partners that have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to CMN Hospitals through innovative fundraising and awareness initiatives.

In 2020, HuskyTHON:

• Announced fundraising total of $1,520,235 (a YOY increase of 14.4%)
• Increased registration to 3,304 participants (up from 3,166 in 2019)
• Won the Ideal Business Partner Pitch competition at Dance Marathon Leadership Conference

Despite the impact of COVID-19, HuskyTHON continues to be a leader among organizations on their campus and within the CMN Hospitals network. HuskyTHON has collaborated with university administration to pave the way for hybrid and small in-person student events at UCONN and they are celebrated on campus as a model organization for student life. Within the MNDM network, they share their fundraising knowledge and encourage many programs to implement best practices to increase fundraising and participation. In March, HuskyTHON’s 2021 marathon was livestreamed over two days and celebrated an announced total of $1,052,534.21 raised during the 2020-2021 school year.

This photo was taken prior to the pandemic

Although many observers would consider this success to be ‘enough,’ HuskyTHON continues to strive for improvements to its program. With the goal of greater student involvement and increased diversity among leadership and participants, HuskyTHON took the following steps in the 2020-2021 academic year:

• Added a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force to their organization in response to national anti-racism protests.
• Expanded their organization to include committee members for the first time.
• Targeted the UCONN satellite campuses for the recruitment of students, faculty, and staff.

HuskyTHON doesn’t stop at doing the minimum for local kids; they continue to go above and beyond to engage all members of their community to support the patients and families treated at Connecticut Children’s. They are continuously enhancing, enriching, and expanding their engagement into the community.

For all of these reasons, we are proud to name HuskyTHON at the University of Connecticut as the Dance Marathon Program of the Year! Congratulations HuskyTHON and thanks for all you do to change kids’ health and change the future.

On March 13th Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, PGA TOUR officials, and CMN Hospitals’ CEO John Lauck came together in Ponte Vedra, FL during a press conference on the eve of THE PLAYERS to urge the global golf community to Play Yellow for children’s hospitals and help raise $100 million over the next five years.

For years, the Nicklaus family has supported Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals®, recognizing their reliance on donations to fund pediatric care insurance programs do not cover. In partnership with CMN Hospitals, the Nicklaus family, along with support from the PGA TOUR and many of its partners, is encouraging the golf community to fill this funding gap in pediatric healthcare through the Play Yellow campaign.

Outreach for support of the Play Yellow campaign began earlier this year, and the list of core partners grows daily. The list thus far includes: the PGA TOUR, THE PLAYERS, Travelers Championship, Topgolf, Callaway, Srixon, the TPC Network, PGA TOUR Superstore, Marriott Golf, TaylorMade, Titleist, FootJoy and Golf Digest. The results of Play Yellow will be celebrated during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide May 30 – June 2.

“The PGA TOUR is honored to join Jack and Barbara Nicklaus to Play Yellow,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “With your support, we can help patients at children’s hospitals across North America. For many years, the Nicklaus family has supported children’s hospitals in their home states of Ohio and Florida. Today, the PGA TOUR is excited to join them and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to engage the entire golf world in impacting even more lives with a unique, new initiative.”

Play Yellow stems from the yellow shirts Jack often wore in the final round of tournaments in honor of Craig Smith, the son of a close family friend and who was battling a rare bone cancer. Craig passed way in 1971 at the age of 13. Fifteen years later, on the morning of the ’86 Masters, Jack, at age 46, once again wore a yellow shirt, playing one of golf history’s most iconic rounds and winning his record sixth Green Jacket. “We are inspired by this story and the Nicklaus family,” said Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ President and CEO John Lauck. “They and the PGA TOUR are really driving positive impact at unprecedented levels to support and improve local communities. We’re grateful for their support and the continued impact Play Yellow will make on kids’ health.”

Benefiting from Play Yellow are kids like 9-year-old A.J. Blinn of Jacksonville, Fla., who attended the announcement. A year ago, he had major hip surgery at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville to treat a rare childhood hip condition. Recovery from hip surgery has kept him from most of the sports he loves, except golf. He has remained active on the course, evident by his swing.

“There isn’t a higher calling than helping a child in need,” said Barbara Nicklaus. Jack echoed his wife: “I completely agree. We hope you’ll join the cause and Play Yellow for kids.” Barbara and Jack have a long history and close ties to a number of CMN Hospitals, most notably Nationwide Children’s Hospital in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide has benefited Nationwide Children’s Hospital since its inception in 1976, and it was The Honda Classic’s move to Palm Beach County and down the street from the Nicklauses’ North Palm Beach, Fla., home that inspired Barbara and Jack to create the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation in 2004.

In the 14-plus years since, the Foundation has raised over $100 million, and their support of pediatric programs in South Florida led renowned Miami Children’s Hospital to rebrand to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Several years later, the entire Miami Children’s Health System was renamed Nicklaus Children’s Health System. There are now 14 Nicklaus Children’s Outpatient Centers spread throughout the state. The foundation has become the primary beneficiary of The Honda Classic, and Barbara has joined the Board of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

So how can you Play Yellow?

1. Donate $18 for 18 holes at PlayYellow.org
2. Grab a yellow shirt, head to the golf course, and post on social media with the hashtag #PlayYellow. Tell us why you Play Yellow and who you are playing yellow for!
3. Create a Facebook Fundraiser of your own to help spread the word and use your network to fundraise for your local children’s hospital.
4. Participate in Play Yellow’s corporate partner campaigns and purchase products that benefit the cause. Check out our corporate partners at playyellow.org

More details about Play Yellow can be found at PlayYellow.org. Follow the cause at Instagram.com/playyellow4kids, Twitter.com/playyellow4kids and #PlayYellow.