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Students Will Dance To Make A Difference In 12-Hour "Tigerthon"

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- It's going to be a busy weekend for hundreds of students at Towson University. They'll be up all night Friday night, and it's all for a good cause.

Ron Matz has more on Tigerthon 2016 and dancing to make a difference.

Tigerthon is a 12 hour dance marathon. Students from Towson University raise big money for the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

"It's really awesome to see all the students come out for this one' cause we bring in the kids and everybody loves to see them. It's really great," said Tigerthon president Helen Grafton. "We're hopefully raising $250,000 this year. We're celebrating the 150th anniversary of Towson University, so we thought it was fitting."

Some of the kids from the children's center will be there, too.

"We have lots of families who come and visit for the night with us. We've got about nine families coming this year. Kids come and share their stories with us; they dance with us and help us celebrate. A lot of inspiring children who want to celebrate what Hopkins has done for them," said Melissa Patek.

It's the 13th year for the Tigerthon. You can even text your donation. It's an event close to the heart of Towson students.

"I really love children. I believe every child deserves a fighting chance so this allows me to give back and help children," said Krystal Escoffery.

Tigerthon has grown so much over the years that for the first time, it's being held at the SECU Arena.

"I was a December grad this year so this is my fifth Tigerthon. I stayed on for my last one. I'm a teacher now but I love Tigerthon so much and we really want to reach our goal this year since this is the last one for a lot of us," Patek said.

About 2,000 students are expected, all dancing to make a difference.

"Being a part of something that's bigger than yourself and getting to affect all the families at Johns Hopkins who make miracles happen every day is one of the most amazing things I've ever been a part of," said Rachel Patek, Tigerthon's co-director of sponsorship.

Last year's Tigerthon raised $204,000. This year's marathon begins Friday at 6 at the SECU Arena and continues until 6 a.m. Saturday.

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