Many deserve thanks for successful event

I am writing to thank everyone at Dance Marathon for giving me one of the greatest experiences of my college career, as well as of my life. I was a first-time dancer, and it turned out to be greater than I could possibly have imagined.\nYes, it was tough. I found myself at a wall several times and just wanted to give up and go home. At the time, it was easy to justify that by thinking, "They've already got the money I raised, so why do I need to be here now?" \nBut I kept going, and I learned to realize that Dance Marathon is about more than just raising money. Anybody can raise money for something; that's not difficult to do. Dance Marathon is about more than just money. It's about challenging yourself to accomplish something you didn't think you could do by finding strength you never thought you had. It's about taking a stand and showing this cynical world that there are many people willing to make sacrifices to help others. And it's about caring enough to help children you will never meet. \nI'm willing to bet that all those families, especially the ones who spoke during that last hour, went home with renewed hope and strength to fight their battles because we stayed to show that we care and that we would not give up. So, I would like to thank my fellow dancers for sticking it out: I couldn't have made it alone. Thank the spirit people: Even though many of us were too tired (and occasionally too grumpy) to appreciate what you were doing for us, you wouldn't let us give up, and we could not have done it without you. Along the same lines, thank you to all our friends who visited us: Seeing you kept our mind off how tired we were, and it kept us sane. Thank you to all the planning committees: Without your work, this never would have even happened. I would also like to extend my extreme gratitude to the bands that played: We would never have been able to make it without your music keeping us going. Thank you to everyone who sponsored a dancer or made a contribution: Thousands of dollars don't come from thin air, but from your generosity. And last, but definitely not least, I would like to thank the Riley families for showing us what strength really is. \nThe pain of not sleeping for 36 hours is nothing compared to what you have endured. You are an inspiration to us all.\nMichael Kirkpatrick\nDance Marathon participant