Just Dance!

This weekend I participated in one of the biggest philanthropies on this campus and across the nation. I usually don't get involved in many community service events. I'm not the emotional, sentimental type and it's hard for me to connect with people on that level. But every year when Dance Marathon comes around, I am one of the first people in my sorority to sign up to dance. This year we only had to stand for 20 hours as opposed to the usual 32. Every year while dancing I ask myself, "why in the worldddd did I sign up for this again?" However, when closing ceremony roles around and they playback the video of the event and why we dance, I am truly reminded why we are here. The fact that a group of students can dedicate their time and hard work to raise over 450,000 dollars for a charity is absolutely mind blowing. The appreciation you can see in the families eyes makes every hour and every dollar worth it. Companies are starting to notice these trends in communities and are having to act on their role of Social Corporate Responsibility (CSR). Many companies such as Coke, Kelloggs and Starbucks have jumped on this bandwagon. Coke has an entire web page dedicated to the issues of sustainability and living positively within your respective community. (http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/) It is important that companies focus on the aspect of community service when designing the values of their business. People relate better to companies that have more "human-like" characteristics so not only will it better the community, but it's also likely to increase their sales. I encourage everyone to get involved in some aspect of community service. It doesn't have to be something huge like Dance Marathon. It can be anything from helping out for a day at a shelter or to just donating a few old things to the underprivileged. Companies are doing it and so can we!

dm.fsu.edu
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