Inspired by His Cousin, Alex Wraps Up Four Years of Dance Marathon Leadership

As he gears up for his final HuskerThon this Saturday, Alex, vice president of finance for UNL Dance Marathon, is thinking about more than the huge amount of planning, outreach and fundraising that goes into the event each year.  

For him, the ultimate impacts of HuskerThon — raising money for Children's Nebraska hospital — are what hit closest to home.  

“My little cousin has had four open heart surgeries at Children’s Nebraska,” says Alex. “Seeing the impact that they’ve had on their family and everything they’ve done for them is truly so special. Children's Nebraska makes such a huge impact on families from all over the world and it's amazing to see the miracles they perform every day.”  

Inspired by his cousin’s story, Alex knew that he wanted to be a part of UNL Dance Marathon (UNDM) when he arrived on campus. The First Year Impact Program made getting started easy.  

“The program helps get new students up to speed with what Dance Marathon is all about,” Alex explains. “There are so many roles and opportunities that Dance Marathon offers, so it's a great way to see how it all works and how you can use your talents to make an impact.”  

Through UNDM, Huskers raise funds for Children's year-round by setting up individual fundraising accounts. During Alex's time as a family representative, he spent a lot of time at Children’s Nebraska meeting directly with families impacted by the generosity of our Husker community.  

“Seeing all these rooms that say, ‘Generously donated by the University of Nebraska Dance Marathon’ is so inspiring. Looking at all the work that’s been done before you motivates you to just keep going and take it even further.”  

That “just keep going” mentality carries through to HuskerThon itself, an 8-hour event that celebrates families supported by Children’s Nebraska.  

“The impacts that we're able to make on the hospital and the families they serve truly make a difference,” says Alex. "But, even after the event is over, we have to remember that these kids’ fights keep going.”  

Alex McMurchie is a senior construction management major from Omaha, Nebraska.