Hofstra University Dance Marathon raises $17K for Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center

11/15/2017    |     Michelle Pinto

HEMPSTEAD, NY — As hundreds of Hofstra University students Hula Hooped and pranced the night away at Children’s Miracle Network’s (CMN) Dance Marathon, they also raised more than $17,000 for Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park.

The Northwell Health Foundation event, sponsored on campus by Hofstra’s student medical organization Phi Delta Epsilon and Danceworks Productions, saw participants fundraise and compete – over a 10-hour period on November 11 – in group dances, obstacle courses, Hula Hoop and volleyball contests.

The Children’s Miracle Network’s mission is to increase funds and awareness for children’s hospitals across the country. Cohen Children’s, the New York metropolitan area’s first pediatric hospital, is the local CMN hospital for New York City and Long Island.

“I couldn’t have been more proud to be part of something that was so successful and help build an event that will continue to fundraise for Cohen Children’s for years to come,” said Tom Fraher, a Hofstra student who helped organize the event.

Several current and former Cohen Children’s patients spoke to students at the event, including Olivia Macchio, a 10-year-old from Garden City who is in remission after battling Burkitt’s lymphoma. “I am back to school, and back to all my sports and activities,” she said. “I am very thankful that the doctors had medicine to make me better. I am very thankful to everyone at Cohen Children’s for helping me along the way. I am very thankful to all of you to come out to the Hofstra Dance Marathon to support Cohen Children’s. You dancers are the best!”

About the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York

Founded in 1983, Cohen Children’s Medical Center is a 202-bed hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children. The specialists in the hospital’s national and international programs cover an entire range of specialties. State-of-the-art care for children’s medical, surgical, and dental needs are provided in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The facility is the largest provider of pediatric health services in New York State, serving 1.8 million children in Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties. For the 11th consecutive year in 2017, Cohen’s was ranked among the nation’s best children’s hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's 2017-18 “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” survey, achieving top-50 rankings in nine of 10 pediatric specialties.

About Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a nationally ranked and recognized private university in Hempstead, N.Y. that is the only school to ever host three consecutive presidential debates (2008, 2012 and 2016). At Hofstra, students get the best of both worlds. Our campus is a leafy oasis just a quick train ride away from New York City and all its cultural, recreational and professional opportunities. We offer small classes and personal attention, with the resources, technology and facilities of a large university. Students can choose from more than 160 undergraduate program options and 165 graduate program options in the liberal arts and sciences, education, health professions and human services, the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Frank G. Zarb School of Business, the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law, the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Hofstra University is a dynamic community of more than 11,000 students from around the world who are dedicated to civic engagement, academic excellence and becoming leaders in their communities and their careers.