"Drew Wall" Night & Dance Marathon

            Friday night was a big night for cancer awareness and fundraising. First was the girls/boys doubleheader basketball game verse Washington, and second was Kennedy’s first dance marathon.

            It was a “purple out” or “Drew Wall” night at the doubleheader. The girls game started at 6:00pm and it was a good game to watch, but they lost by one. In between the girls and boys game, we prayed for the families and victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School due to Friday’s tragic shooting. Then Drew’s dad spoke to the crowd about has thanks, support, and love that we’ve shown as a community to Drew, their family, and cancer awareness. Both were really heart-touching and made you think about how precious life is and to live your life to the fullest and not let anything get in your way. This is what “Just Drew It” means. Keep persevering no matter what and stay positive and happy. It was really neat to see both Kennedy and Washington fans wear purple and both the Kennedy and Washington basketball teams wear purple “Just Drew It” t-shirts and purple socks. They gave purple bracelets out that said “Just Drew It” with “Joshua 1:9” on the back, Drew’s favorite Bible verse. The boys lost their game as well, but it was a great night regardless.

            Following the basketball games was the Dance Marathon. Kennedy’s Key Club put it together, but it was to raise money for the U of I Children’s Hospital. They sold t-shirts, tickets, stars to “cover up cancer,” had a bake sale, and asked for donations from local businesses, companies, and families. It was super fun! To current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, go next year! Not only is it a great cause, but it’s the most fun I have ever had at a dance. Prom was very fun, but it was so nice to dance in comfortable clothes instead of fancy clothes. The DJ was awesome, giving a lightshow, variety of music: throwback, 90’s, current hits, and classics. He did it all for free and volunteered his time. There was also Zumba, which was instructed by Mr. Trout! It was so fun to be involved in real dancing to Latin and Hispanic music. It was a great group of people to dance with and Key Club even brought students from University of Iowa’s Dance Marathon to dance with us. I stayed until the end (midnight) and I officially survived the dance marathon and was a dancer for kids with cancer!  (418)