Miracle Network Dance Marathon’s Distinguished Leadership Award

HAMDEN, CT— Jonathan Sweeney of Brookfield, a senior film, television and media arts major in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University, was among the 27 graduating college and high school student leaders to receive the Miracle Network Dance Marathon’s Distinguished Leadership Award.

The honorees were recognized for making an exceptional impact within their Dance Marathon program on their individual campus, and for their impact within the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

Sweeney served as executive board member and multi-media chair for Quinnipiac’s QTHON, which raised more than $200,000 for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
"As someone who grew up with multiple chronic illnesses, this award, and being able to give back to Connecticut Children’s for all that they do, means more than anyone could ever know,” Sweeney said. “QTHON has changed my life in the best possible way, making this sick little boy into a man with a mission."

Miracle Network Dance Marathon is a core program for CMN Hospitals, a nonprofit that is aimed at raising funds and awareness for 170 children’s hospitals across North America. The collective efforts of Miracle Network Dance Marathon events have raised more than $300 million since 1991. Each year, hundreds of thousands of students participate in approximately 400 events at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada, contributing to a movement that supports the health of 10 million kids treated at CMN Hospitals each year.

Miracle Network Dance Marathon was founded in 1991 at Indiana University. The student-run programs operate throughout the year and culminate in a 6- to 48-hour Dance Marathon events held either in-person or virtually. Students reveal and celebrate the year’s fundraising total, participate in games and dancing and meet with patient families treated at the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

“These 27 students represent the purpose of Miracle Network Dance Marathon, which is this generation fighting for the next," said Teri Nestel, president & CEO of CMN Hospitals. "Our collective efforts provide member hospitals with the critical funds needed to advance pediatric healthcare at-large, ultimately protecting kids' futures and enhancing our communities. We're forever grateful for the legacies they have created and will build upon."

Dollars raised for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals stay local and support each hospital’s most urgent needs, whether that’s providing care to children without insurance, investing in research that discovers life-saving treatments and cures, training the next generation of doctors and nurses, or offering families comfort and peace of mind during the most trying moments of their lives.