Wake ‘N Shake

Wake ‘N Shake is coming March 22nd and I hope your students are marking their calendars now to participate.   Here’s some background information about this event from their place on the WFU website:

“The Wake ‘N Shake Dance Marathon at Wake Forest University is an annual 12-hour event benefiting the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive. Wake Forest students stay awake and on their feet for the entire 12-hours to raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer. Dancers participate in a variety of fun activities such as crazy games and competitions, a group line dance and enjoy entertainment by musicians, dance groups and other student and community organizations. Cancer survivors and families/friends of cancer victims inspire dancers by sharing their testimonies throughout the event. Dancers are faced with both mental and physical challenges in an effort to symbolize the obstacles faced by those diagnosed with cancer. Wake ‘n Shake was started by students in the spring of 2006 with 300 dancers raising over $30,000. In the Spring of 2012 over 1000 dancers raised $105,000 towards the Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive.”

There is a new Wake ‘N Shake promo video that is a blast, and gives a hint of the kind of fun your students can have at this event.  And there is a standalone Wake ‘N Shake website with a blog, pictures, information on how to participate, and more.  I would particularly commend to you their About Us page, which says very eloquently why our students are so passionate about supporting Wake ‘N Shake and cancer research and support.

Wake ‘N Shake is good clean fun.  What 18-22 year old doesn’t like a late night party, dancing, and music?  But it is also a fine example of how students can play very meaningful roles and develop important skills outside the classroom that will help them for the rest of their lives:

For those who are organizing the event, they have the opportunity to help learn about websites, advertising across various platforms (word of mouth, flyers, web, etc.), how to manage volunteers, event planning, teamwork, delegation, and more.

For those participating on teams, they are exercising school spirit, supporting their friends and classmates whose lives are touched by cancer, becoming more educated about healthcare issues, and more.

And the end goal is a good and just one – to help raise money for cancer research and support.

As with Hit the Bricks, this is one of the prime events of the year to exercise our Pro Humanitate muscles.  Encourage your students to put on their dancing shoes and get involved.  They can help be #superdeacs this year.