“We serve children in a different capacity,” said Dave Scott, a senior and co-president of APO.
The service fraternity concentrates on other local charities, including Carolina Pediatric Attention, Love and Support, a buddy system for cancer patients.
“If anything, I think it complements what we do,” Scott said.
While maintaining a spirit of cooperation, campus charities are forced to recognize Dance Marathon as the definitive high-profile organization at UNC.
“They are so well-established that they have good name recognition,” said junior Chad Trent, president of the executive board of Carolina Cancer Focus, which has about 40 active members. “It’s harder. You see a successful organization like that … it’s harder to reach that level.”
Junior Elizabeth Sessler, co-chairwoman of UNC Habitat for Humanity, said one of the marathon’s secrets to success is getting the word out at the start of the year.
“They strike early,” said Sessler, whose group has a listserv of 2,200 subscribers. “Freshman Camp, you hear about Dance Marathon. They make sure everyone knows about it.”
UNC Habitat’s fund-raising goal for this year was $30,000, an amount that has not come easily.
“It’s been a hard year to fund-raise, with tsunami relief and Dance Marathon, but we’ve met our goal,” Sessler said, noting that the group has achieved its target through partnerships with various professional groups.
One challenge for charities is finding creative new ways to appeal for funds. Dance Marathon, tsunami relief groups and UNC Habitat compete for attention from the same students when they all use benefit concerts, bar nights and bake sales.
“Students have a fixed income and only want to see so many a cappella groups or buy so many cookies before it is tiring or too expensive, regardless of the cause,” Sessler said.
Although UNC Habitat does compete somewhat with the marathon for volunteers, that hasn’t affected its numbers — UNC Habitat has had to turn down volunteers.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
But the groups’ largest projects overlap this year: Both UNC Habitat’s Blitz Build and the 24-hour marathon will take place this weekend.
The two groups also vie against one another for leadership, but each has found a large pool of potential leaders from which to choose.
“Some people who are looking for something to put on their resume will often do Dance Marathon,” said Becca Sowder, Blitz Build coordinator. “This hasn’t affected UNC Habitat too badly because we have strong leadership.”
Amy Gorely, associate director of the Carolina Center for Public Service, said Dance Marathon effectively coexists with other organizations.
“The culture of service at UNC is so strong that UNC can support many, many student organizations,” she said. “And that’s a positive thing.”
Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.