Eight hours until show time. It’s the first Friday afternoon of February and the Ohio Union is humming in anticipation of one of our biggest events of the year. Months of meticulous planning on the part of Buckeyethon members and Ohio Union staff has all been building up to the next 36 hours. All of the hard work that they have put in will finally pay off when tonight’s opening ceremony begins and approximately 4,800 registered dancers begin participating in the 2016 Buckeyethon Dance Marathon- and the best part? It’s all For The Kids.

“Every kid deserves to run and jump and laugh and dance. Every kid deserves to live carefree.”

Above are the logo and words presented on Buckeyethon’s website, and this sentence represents the root of Buckeyethon’s mission: For The Kids. These three words are used to link fundraising dance marathons across the nation in the fight for children who need it most. Courtney Thomson, who is Buckeyethon’s Director of Marketing and Communication, told me that “everyone has his or her own reasons for being FTK, and it means something different to everyone,” and that is what makes this event so special.

Tonight and tomorrow, throughout the Ohio Union, students will come together not only with each other, but also with the families of 17 special children who currently have or have fought pediatric illness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Some of these families have been with Buckeyethon for multiple years and some are participating for the first time. They will be able to witness the support and the For The Kids mantra in action. Each child has their own page on the Buckeyethon Kids section of the website (which dons the heading “Every Kid Deserves to be a Buckeye!”) where you can read about their personality, their favorite things and their personal journey in their fight against pediatric illness. This weekend those children will get to see and feel the overwhelming support of students like us who care. Most of us will never understand the hardships these kids are facing, but we can help, we can donate and we can dance.

Dancers will interact with each other and the Buckeyethon Kids, as well as participate in various activities and- of course- dance! This event is enough to get even the shyest of movers onto the dance floor, if even just to learn the Morale Dance. For anyone who doesn’t know what the Morale Dance is, I am here to tell you: It is a type of line dance that is choreographed and taught to dancers by students from Buckeyethon. The dance is set to a mash-up of today’s top hits (I would like to think Adele would participate if she was an Ohio State student) and a few throwbacks; and, as Courtney explained to me, serves as “the perfect pick-me-up throughout the event,” as well as a way for dancers to work together and learn the routine.

Eight hours (give or take the five minutes it took you to read this blog post) until show time- and I couldn’t be more excited to witness it. Tonight, thousands of Ohio State students will descend upon the Ohio Union in what I believe is one of the most perfect examples of why I am so proud to be a part of the Ohio State community.

For more information, visit the Buckeyethon website.

Student Org Spotlight: Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB)

The Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB) brings a large variety of engaging events to all Ohio State students.  They started the year in a big way during Welcome Week with Movie on the Oval (MOTO) and the Welcome Week Concert featuring Big Sean with special guests Cash Cash and Kehlani. From large lectures and comedy events, to cozy karaoke and craft nights, they’ll certainly continue to impress students with this semester’s events.

OUAB’s Flicks for Free program kicked off last Wednesday with MOTO featuring “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”  Flicks for Free is a weekly program that features some of the biggest box office hits. From scary thrillers to childhood throwbacks, Flicks for Free tries to offer something for everyone. Check out their lineup below!

OUAB Flicks for Free Movie List

OUAB’s Visual and Fine Arts Chair, Alexa Benear, organizes the weekly Flicks for Free.  “Flicks for Free gives students the chance to see popular movies in an affordable way,” says Benear. “Movie theaters are getting more and more expensive, and oftentimes college students bypass going to the movies in order to save money. Our weekly movie series takes this worry out of the equation, and even comes with free popcorn and drinks, too!”

Just as the name implies, students can see these movies for free; admission is two people per BuckID.  All showings will be held in the U.S. Bank Conference Theater at the Student Life’s Ohio Union and are seated on a first come, first serve basis. The feature begins at 6 p.m. with an encore at 8:30 p.m., and there are even soft drinks and popcorn (aka ‘buttery goodness’) for you to enjoy.

Benear says Flicks for Free “gives students the opportunity to see popular movies they may have missed in theaters without losing out on that movie theater experience. It’s a great way to take a few hours, spend time with your friends and take a break from the stress of classes.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Who: All Ohio State students

What: Free movie, popcorn, drinks and more!

Where: Ohio Union, U.S. Bank Conference Theater

When: Wednesdays at 6 pm and 8:30 pm

Why: Free movies, free popcorn plus plenty of smiles, laughs and tears

Benear encourages “groups of students from residence halls, student organizations or anywhere on campus to use Flicks for Free as a way to get together. It’s a great way to connect outside the classroom.”

Check out their website and social media to learn more about their upcoming events.

The sOUrce is a student-run blog  to help  students, faculty and visitors learn about the events at Student Life’s Ohio Union at The Ohio State University.  Serving over 1,200 student organizations and hosting over 22,800 events each year, you are sure to find something to do at the Ohio Union. We want to be a resource for you to learn about and keep tabs on the events and organizations that are of interest to you.

Besides having some interesting articles about events, we are also going to host contests throughout the year. Stay tuned to learn how to win some great prizes! Please click the Follow Button (lower right corner) to get an update each time a new Blog post goes live. 

If you are interested in writing for the sOUrce, please feel free to contact us! We’re happy to have new people on our writing team so we can share even more information that would interest the Ohio State community.  Please contact Eve Esch (esch.12@osu.edu) for more information!