Terp Thon @ UMD

10 Terp Thon New Year’s Resolutions

It’s officially 2013 and in 3 short months, it will be Terp Thon! Maybe you have already made your list of resolutions, or maybe you haven’t. Either way, here are 10 Easy Terp Thon Resolutions that will help you kick off 2013!

1. Wear your Terp Thon shirt once a week.

2. Make a Terp Thon status or post a Terp Thon video on Facebook once a week.

3. Tweet about Terp Thon once a week.

4. Casually mention Terp Thon or FTK in a conversation once a day.

5. Get at least 3 of your best buds to join Terp Thon too!

6. Don’t skip any Terp Thon meetings.

7. Try to become more involved in your committee’s meetings and activities.

8. Go canning with some friends.

9. Keep fundraising, even if you have already met the minimum $100.

10. GET PUMPED THAT TERP THON IS ONLY 3 MONTHS AWAY!!!

Holiday Fundraising: How to raise money this busy holiday season!

1.) Instead of asking for gifts, ask family members to support Terp Thon and tell them about Children’s National Medical Center and the kids that the hospital helps. Show them some of the video stories of our Miracle Children and they won’t be able to resist helping!

2.)  Include a blurb about donating to Terp Thon in a respectable way in your holiday cards this giving season; you’ll be surprised at the overwhelming responses you will receive!

3.) In your holiday shout-out on Facebook and Twitter, tell all of your social media friends about Terp Thon’s cause and ask them to donate (even if it’s just a dollar!).

4.) Donate a portion of the money you receive from relatives instead of buying yourself a new top or baseball hat!

5.) Girls! Go to Plato’s Closet and sell some of your old clothes and accessories and donate some of your earnings to your fundraising site.  You will feel so happy that you helped our friends at Children’s National Medical Center instead of going out to buy something new that you’ll probably only wear once!

So this holiday season, let’s think of ways we can give, especially to Terp Thon, to help the kids at Children’s National Medical Center!  As we all get in the holiday spirit, let’s remember to think about others instead of ourselves…we tend to forget sometimes, and Terp Thon is a GREAT reminder!

Meet our Miracle Children: Tess and Alexander!

If you met these twins for the first time, your first instinctive thought might be to ask them for their names. “Tess and Alexander,” they would answer. Then maybe you’d ask some follow up questions about their interests and they would respond with, “I like swimming and riding horses” and “I like karate and singing.” As you continue the conversation they might reveal more about themselves like, “I’m a Cub Scout and an honor roll student” and “I like being a Brownie Scout.” And at the end of the conversation you might think to yourself how wonderfully cheerful and energetic they are, but you might not know is that they both have cerebral palsy. 

Diagnosed at the ages 2 and 3, respectively, Tess and Alexander have big dreams and grand interests just like any children their age. The only difference is that they have undergone numerous surgeries and continue to receive physical and occupational therapy at Children’s National Medical Center. Treatment requires money and their family cannot afford to pay all of the medical fees of two twins on their own.

This is where TerpThon comes in to help. We are collecting change, donating, and dancing every day so that children like Tess and Alexander can enjoy the lives they want. When most of us were children, we worried about simple things like getting first place in a race or receiving an A on our homework. Now as adults, we have the power to grant Tess and Alexander, and many other children at the Children’s National Medical Center, the same opportunity to live happy, healthy lives. Perhaps one day they’ll grow up to be dancers for the cause (Note: Tess recently received an award for being the top fundraiser at a school charity event).  

You can help out today, any amount helps: http://www.terpthon.org/donatenow.php

Written by: Yooni Choi, Advertising Committee

Why do we participate in Terp Thon?: A committee member’s view!

Although Terp Thon is very recent in my life, it has fast become something I love to be a part of. It started as a mandatory event for my sorority; however, I had no idea that it would inspire me to become a part of one of the committees. Although I don’t know any children personally that are sick, seeing the children at the event was enough for me.

The most important aspect of Terp Thon to me is how much it unifies the school to help people they probably don’t know personally. Being in Cole Field House with hundreds of UMD people that are all there for one reason and one reason only: for the children in the hospital, is amazing. Seeing all the different colored t-shirts and everyone dancing one dance together for something so selfless made me realize how much I wanted to get involved.

I can’t wait for this upcoming event and to once again see the colors, the feet dancing, the unity, and most importantly the smiling faces of the kids.

Written by: Arielle Kroloff, Advertising Committee

Why is Terp Thon thankful?

Here at the University of Maryland, members of Terp Thon share a few things they are thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Amanda
Freshman
“I am thankful for my family and the nice house that I will be welcomed into when I leave Maryland.”

Mara
Freshman
“I am thankful to be able to snuggle my puppy and hang out with all my friends from home.”

Kim
Sophomore
“I am thankful that I get to be at the same dinner table as my whole family this Thanksgiving.”

William
Junior
“Being able to go home and see my family for a few days!”

Abby
Junior
“I am thankful to be able to come to such an amazing school where I have the most amazing friend support system and then to be able to go home to a loving family.”

Jenna
Senior
“I am thankful to be so socially and intellectually stimulated by the people and opportunities around me.

Esther
Senior
“My four years at Maryland, and the great friends I’ve made these four years.”

Christine
Senior
“All of my college experiences and the Terp Thon family that I have made.”

Amanda
Senior
“I am thankful for the opportunity to go to law school and raising money so that the kids can someday go to law school too!”

Erin
Senior
“This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful to have friends who will drive around aimlessly and jam out in the car with me.”

Amy
Senior
“This thanksgiving, I am thankful that I have the chance to be thankful.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if the kids who are spending their Thanksgiving Day in Children’s Miracle Hospitals could have the opportunity one day to say that they are thankful for these things as well? You can help make that happen by donating to Terp Thon here: http://terpthon.org/donatenow.php.

Written by: Provie Kruger, Advertising Committee

5 Ways to Fundraise From Your Couch!

With classes being closed because of the hurricane, why not spend that extra time raising money for the kids? We know going outside is not really an option, so here’s a list of 5 ways you can fundraise right from your couch!

1. Social Media: Facebook and Tweet the link to your fundraising page! You’ll be surprised how many of your friends/followers are willing to donate to a worthy cause, especially those you may not talk to that often.

2. Email Family Members: Get a list of emails of family members from your parents, and draft an email to send to them explaining what Terp Thon does and why they should consider donating to you! Make it personal by adding in information specific to them (email each family member separately) and by including videos of our miracle children. Be sure to include your fundraising link, so donating is as easy as possible!

3. Spare Change Jar: Start saving all your spare change (including what you find underneath your couch cushions) in an old jar. This is one of the simplest ways to save money, but you’ll be surprised how quickly all those coins will add up!

4. Donate Fast Food Money: It’s unlikely that any restaurants are going to deliver food in this weather, anyways, so take that money and donate it to Terp Thon! You’ll feel a lot better that you gave that money to the kids, instead of ordering Jimmy Johns…again.

5. Sell Your Old Textbooks Online: Go through your textbooks from previous semesters and sell the ones you don’t need anymore online! You’ll be able to get a decent amount of money for most textbooks, and this is a great way to reach your minimum quickly.

For more fundraising ideas, or if you have ideas of your own that you’d like to share, email Fundraising@TerpThon.org! 

Registering How-To!

If you haven’t heard, registration for Terp Thon 2013 is now OPEN! If the process seems a little overwhelming, here’s a step-by-step guide to make it easier. 

1. Go to www.helpmakemiracles.org/event/terpthon13.

2. Click on the “Register Now” button located at the top of the page.

3. Choose whether you are registering as an Alumni (someone who has already graduated from the University of Maryland), a Dancer (a current student who will attend the event in March), or a Spirit Dancer (a student who is unable to attend the event in March, but still wishes to raise money). 

4. Select your fundraising goal! The minimum is $100, but you are more than encouraged to set your goal as high as you want!

5. Choose whether you want to register as an individual, join a team that has already been created, or create your own team so your friends can dance with you!

6. Read the waiver, and check the box to agree to the terms and conditions.

7. On the next page, fill out your personal contact information in case of emergencies, and so that you don’t miss out on any Terp Thon updates throughout the year!

8. On the final page, look over all your information…if everything checks out, click on the “Complete Registration” button!

Congratulations! You have now registered for Terp Thon 2013, UMD’s biggest Party with a Purpose! For more information on fundraising tips, our miracle children or our event in general, visit our website at www.terpthon.org.

Halloween Party, FTK!

This past Sunday, Terp Thon celebrated it’s first ever Halloween Party for the kids! Some of our miracle children and their families joined our committees for an afternoon of halloween-themed snacks and games at the Marriot. And of course, everyone was dressed up in their favorite costumes! 

Some of the activities the kids got to take part in were decorating cookies, creating their own trick-or-treat bags and breaking open a pumpkin piñata! 

Dr. Bear even surprised everyone with an appearance (and soon afterwards, the kids turned him into a mummy).

Thank you again to everyone who came out and helped make this a really fun afternoon for our miracle children! To see more pictures from the event, visit our Facebook page.