14th Annual Autism AwareNESS Dance-A-Thon

Name: 14th Annual Autism AwareNESS Dance-A-Thon
Start: 2025-04-12T12:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-04-13T00:00:00-04:00
Location: Eastlake Middle School

Schedule

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025 at 12:00 pm to Sun, 13 Apr, 2025 at 12:00 am

UTC-04:00

Location

Eastlake Middle School | Eastlake, OH

On April 12th, Eastlake Middle School and the supporting community will celebrate Autism Awareness Month with its 14th annual twelve hour dance marathon. Last April, over 120 6th-8th grade (11-14 year old) students committed to dance and stand on their feet from noon until midnight, without any breaks to sit down and rest, while learning more about autism. Each student raises $75 or more in sponsorships to be a part of this amazing event. All proceeds from the event go towards the local autism initiatives Miracle League, Share A Vision, HeartHub, and Heroes Helping Those With Special Needs.
Adapted from Penn State’s “Thon,” which raises money to fight pediatric cancer, “NESS” was started in 2010 to create awareness of the prevalence of autism, while raising money to help fund academic and leisure opportunities and programming to support autistic individuals. Growing since its inception, the Autism AwareNESS dance-a-thon has raised over $157,000 for autism research and programming. The mission of NESS has expanded to foster acceptance and inclusion for autistic and neurodivergent individuals in our community.
During the dance-a-thon, every hour will be kicked off with a line dance choreographed by our staff and a song written and produced by our staff! Additionally, family members of individuals with autism will share their stories with our students and community, as well as other awareness activities that will help our students to understand things from a different perspective. Come to Eastlake Middle School on April 12th to show your support and be a part of this amazing, worthwhile, fun event!
Donations will be accepted at the door.
Donations for our Annual Autism AwareNESS Dance can be dropped off between 7:30 am – 4 pm or mailed to Eastlake Middle School (35972 Lakeshore Blvd; Eastlake, OH), or we can arrange a pick up if that better suits your needs. For monetary donations, please make checks payable to Eastlake Middle School and note in the memo NESS Committee. We invite you to attend the event to see your contributions and selfless students in action!
Contact Information: Angela Minichello and Ellen Murfey, Eastlake Middle School, 35972 Lakeshore Blvd, Eastlake, OH 44095; [email protected]; [email protected] ; 440-942-5696.