Dear Blog Diary,
How is it possible that in less than two weeks, I will officially have moved to Iowa City? Here are some personal goals I have set and things I am excited for the next four years.
1.) Do the wave and dance....all for the kids.
University of Iowa's football stadium, Kinnick Stadium, is located next to the Steadfast Children's Hospital. It is so close during games, players and spectators look up at the windows of the hospital and wave to the kids. I have never been a huge fan of sports but already know I am going to attend all the Hawkeye games just for the wave. It blows my mind how something as small as a wave can make the days of soooo many people. Saying it would mean the world for me to be a part of something this wonderful is an understatement. The wave makes the football more than just a sporting event. It makes it a life changing and lasting event for everyone involved. Sorry Hawkeyes, I want us to win and everything, but as long as we can make those brave warriors smile and make their days, I will have a smile on my face and my day will be made regardless of whether or not Iowa gets the W.
One way I want to get involved is through Dance Marathon. I want to use my love of dance to help raise money for the kids battling pediatric cancer. I have always longed to keep dancing but in a way where it did not matter how much talent I do or don't have. This seems like the perfect chance! Nothing matters but the money raised for the hospital. Mar Mar and I finally did our clogging homework and watched Hairspray. (Been listening to You Can't Stop the Beat every day since April and do not plan on stopping anytime soon, you can't stop the beat!:) My favorite thing about the musical is it being a dance story but also so much more. It's about a girl named Tracy who dreams of dancing on her favorite show, Good Morning Broadway. She gets on the show only to discover a.) some people do not want her on there all because of her weight and b.) Americans and African Americans can not dance together. (It takes place in the 1960s before segregation officially became illegal in the United States.) At the end, Tracy and the other dancers come together and change the whole atmosphere of the show.
While Tracy did have dance talent, it was not what mattered most. This is one of the many reasons I love and want to be a part of Dance Marathon. The talent of the dancers does not matter but, just like in Hairspray, their hearts and souls do. The reason for them dancing is one of the most wonderful in the world and saying it is something to dance for is an understatement. However, in order to persist through 48 hours of not eating, drinking, or sitting down, the dancers have to care about the children.
My heart goes out to all the children in the hospital and I yearn to be a part of something which gives them even just a little bit of joy and hope. Through the wave and Dance Marathon, I hope to give hope and happiness to people who are battling one of the hardest and scariest battles.
2.) Best Buddies!!
For those of you who don't know, Best Buddies is an organization whose mission is to create equal opportunities for and stop prejudice against people with special needs. I will be apart of University of Iowa's Best Buddies Chapter. I will attend chapter meetings, have a buddy with special needs who I will hang out with at least once a month, and be a part of fun events to bring together people with and without special needs. There are an infinite amount of reasons I am bursting with excitement for this most incredible and amazing of opportunities! I am not going to go to it in much detail in this blog because I have another coming up all about Best Buddies. Let's just say if I am willing to devote a blog post to something, it means the world to me. Without the very special honor, privilege, honor, and blessing of working with and opening myself up to the special needs, I would not get a chance to express and show the best parts of me. There would be the biggest, coldest, and darkest of holes in my heart nothing could fill.
