The funds will benefit  and the .

The 18-hour event brings the community together for a culminating celebration with several activities throughout the night. This year engaged over 750 people from students to doctors. A significant part of the event was the involvement of 41 raiseRED families, who are supported by the beneficiary organizations. Eighteen of those families were able to join the celebration in person.

Among the participants was Sophie Boguszewski, a junior special education major in the and a dedicated raiseRED staff member. Sophie’s connection to the cause is deeply personal. As a childhood cancer survivor herself, she understands firsthand the critical importance of the research and support raiseRED provides.

“With raiseRED, I built a lot of skills in advocacy, and learning to fight for what I believe is right when it comes to kids with pediatric cancer — it bleeds into working with kids and special education,” she said. “I have to fight for them as well.”

The 2025 fundraising total brings the cumulative amount raised by raiseRED to over $5.5 million since its inception.

Watch Sophie’s full interview:

UofL’s largest student-run philanthropy once again hit it out of the park.

raiseRED, an annual dance marathon that benefits UofL’s Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute outpatient clinic, generated more than $551,000 Feb. 24-25. This brings the cumulative total raised over the 10-year history of the event to more than $4.6 million.

Participants raise a minimum of $200 per person to participate, with many raising even more.

The 18-hour event featured dancing and a few other events-within-the event, such as:

• Buzz for the Cure: A long-standing raiseRED tradition, students pledge to shave their head, or do a major chop, during the dance marathon if they reach their fundraising goal.
• Angel Hour: The people in participants’ lives who have been impacted by cancer and blood disorders are recognized and remembered.��
• Mail Call: Letters of support from participants’ loved ones are read to cheer them on.
• Neon Silent Disco: The speaker system goes silent and participants wear headphones to dance to music only they can hear.
• And new this year: The Hypnotic Experience. Hypnotist ‘TG’ Rivers will tap participants to be hypnotized to entertain the crowd.

It’s the cause, however, of battling childhood cancer and blood disorders that is the core of the effort, said raiseRED Executive Director Valerie Tran, a senior majoring in industrial engineering.

“raiseRED is a year-long effort to help children with cancer and blood disorders in the Louisville area, and I’m so humbled to see the courage these kids show,” Tran said. “I know what we are doing and the funds we raise can make a difference in the lives of these children and their families every day.”

These are the ingredients that make up raiseRED, the University of Louisville’s largest student-run philanthropy that has raised over $4.1 million for pediatric cancer and blood disorders research and patient support since 2013.

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, raiseRED will be held Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25, at the Swain Student Activities Center Ballroom.

raiseRED is a dance marathon that benefits UofL’s Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and the Norton Children’s Cancer Institute outpatient clinic. Participants raise a minimum of $200 per person to participate, with many raising even more.

The event kicks off at 6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 24, and culminates with the big reveal of total dollars raised at the Community Celebration from 10:30 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Feb. 25.

In between, students will kick up their heels. To keep up their spirits – and help keep their eyes open – several events-within-the-event are held. Among them are:

• Buzz for the Cure: A long-standing raiseRED tradition, students pledge to shave their head, or do a major chop, during the dance marathon if they reach their fundraising goal.
• Angel Hour: The people in participants’ lives who have been impacted by cancer and blood disorders are recognized and remembered.��
• Mail Call: Letters of support from participants’ loved ones are read to cheer them on.
• Neon Silent Disco: The speaker system goes silent and participants wear headphones to dance to music only they can hear.
• And new this year: The Hypnotic Experience. Hypnotist ‘TG’ Rivers will tap participants to be hypnotized to entertain the crowd.

It’s the cause, however, of battling childhood cancer and blood disorders that is the core of the effort, said raiseRED Executive Director Valerie Tran, a senior majoring in industrial engineering.

“raiseRED is a year-long effort to help children with cancer and blood disorders in the Louisville area, and I’m so humbled to see the courage these kids show,” Tran said. “I know what we are doing and the funds we raise can make a difference in the lives of these children and their families every day.”

For information and to donate, visit the

raiseRED has long been a signature UofL event, with more than 1,000 students raising money to fight pediatric cancer during the 18-hour dance marathon and other events during the year. Thus far, the organization has raised nearly $3 million.��

Students are passionate about the cause, often spending their entire college careers volunteering. That passion has continued for many long after graduation and, in fact, a new raiseRED Alumni Council was formally created in the fall of 2019 to connect UofL’s alumni community with current participants.

The objective: To advocate for and advance the mission and vision of raiseRED while providing volunteer mentoring, financial and community support.��

UofL News recently sat down with Alumni Council Chairman Austin Schwenker to find out more about this new group, and what makes raiseRED so special to keep people involved long after graduation.��

UofL News: How many members of the alumni council are there and what are their duties?

Schwenker: Current active membership is around 30 to 40 people who live locally in Louisville, around the commonwealth, and throughout the U.S. and Abroad. The duties may better align with the goals of our council; the most important being a connection and network for members to stay involved and advocate for the advancement of the overall RaiseRED mission and vision. By bringing together a collective group with similar collegiate experiences and passions, our thought is that we can create a greater impact in our communities.

UofL News: Who can join the council?

Schwenker: Membership is open to anyone recognized as an alumni by the office of alumni relations whether they have direct experience with ULDM or RaiseRED — although many and most current members are prior dancers, team leaders, morale captains and eboard members.

UofL News: There are a lot of fundraisers people can choose to support. Why should they choose raiseRED?

Schwenker: First and foremost, 100% of every penny donated to raiseRED goes directly to the UofL Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (“the clinic”). raiseRED […] is the University of Louisville’s largest student-run philanthropic organization, and in the past five years, their efforts have raised over $2.3 million for research and patient needs.

RaiseRED funds research and contributes towards patient needs. This year-long fundraising effort culminates in an 18-hour dance marathon every February to honor the children we fight for. Not only does the organization raise money for the hospital, they build relationships with the families. CARDINAL CREW, a unique program that matches children with our leadership and hosts events that let them just be kids, is just one way this organization makes impacts in the community outside of financial support.

UofL News: Why do you think RaiseRED continues to be so successful?

Schwenker: I think raiseRED is unique where students are actively engaged through the dance marathon where they get to meet the people being helped by their fundraising efforts. We hear over and over how motivating this has been and has pushed dancers to get even more involved in the organization because of the personal connection and impact.��

As for why raiseRED remains so successful, the impact the organization has and the connection the students are able to make with each other, the clinic, kids, patients, families, and that truly differentiates a cause from a mission. So many students year over year align themselves to raiseRED’s mission whether it be because of their personal connection to cancer through a family member, friend, or even sometimes their own experience. By aligning so many invested people to a mission instead of ‘just another cause,’ the support and commitment of those involved goes far beyond this year, this donation, hitting this contribution level. We never want another person to hear, ‘your child has cancer.’ We fight for the kids.

It’s what makes University of Louisville’s athletics department’s partnership with raiseRED – the largest, on-campus student-led philanthropic campaign that fights to end pediatric cancer – an all-around victory.

The deal centers around a plan called Flight 23, which provides students admission to every home regular season home game for all 23 sports, including football and men’s and women’s basketball, for $10 per month.

Athletics is donating $2 to raiseRED for every Flight 23 member that attends a home football game (up to $10,000 total) and $1 to raiseRED for every member that attends a home men’s basketball game (up to $20,000 total).

can be purchased online through each student’s .

In previous years, athletics has donated a portion of funds for every student season ticket purchase referred by raiseRED, which focuses year-round efforts on supporting research and funding of the UofL Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology.

Last school year, raiseRED fundraised a record $682,483, a figure that could be surpassed with the new partnership.

Though the partnership dates back to at least 2016, last year’s successful single-game initiatives between athletics and raiseRED signaled opportunities for continued growth.

On Jan. 31, Louisville’s women’s basketball welcomed 11-time national champion Connecticut to the KFC Yum! Center for raiseRED Student Night. Head coach Jeff Walz and provost Beth Boehm agreed to donate $10 each to raiseRED for every student in attendance. By the end of the night, the Cardinals knocked off the Huskies and raiseRED was on the receiving end of a $10,000 check. Earlier that year, men’s soccer and athletics marketing teamed up to donate $1,000 to raiseRED in appreciation of the organization helping drive student attendance to the match.

Athletics will continue its student night initiatives with raiseRED during the fall and winter seasons leading up to the Dance Marathon, which is held annually in February.��

“We are very thankful for our partnership with athletics,” said Cole Hetzler, raiseRED’s university outreach coordinator. “It speaks to the community that we have here at UofL, and how we all support each other.”

RaiseRED is a registered student organization that plans events throughout the year specifically to raise money for UofL’s Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Research and Treatment Clinic. The 18-hour dance marathon event generates the most donations out of all of the events.

Though the event itself is a test of endurance, Kristen Johnson, operations director of raiseRED, says dancing is the smallest thing participants do.��

“There are many other activities for participates to enjoy such as games, team competitions and listening to the stories of the kids and families affected by pediatric cancer,” she said.��

The dance marathon and its many activities are planned by 20 UofL student leaders who make up the raiseRED executive board.��

“The students are the ones who plan every bit of it … the students really run the show,”  said Amanda James, a raiseRED adviser and assistant director of Alumni Programs.

The theme for this year’s event is space. James said dances, activities and competitions will revolve around this theme and she even expects dancers to be wearing space-inspired clothing, such as Star Wars shirts.

Though the student leaders run the show, its participants make the fundraising happen. Participants include everyone from students to alumni to members of the Louisville community. They participate either as part of a team or as an individual; the only requirement is that they raise $180 prior to the event.��

Oftentimes, some of the pediatric cancer patients will also participate in the event, underscoring its very purpose.��

As the dance marathon ends, all 1,000 dancers come together to perform the final line dance. At this time, the total amount raised with raiseRED throughout the year is finally revealed.

According to Johnson, the reveal is, “the best 3 seconds of the entire year.”

“It’s just really cool to see over a thousand people just collapse with joy after 18 hours,” she said.

Once the marathon concludes and all funds have been accounted for, 100 percent of the proceeds are sent to Dr. Ashok Raj, Department Chair of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, who oversees all pediatric care of cancer and blood disorders. As raiseRED’s partner, he helps determine how the funds are divided within the clinic. On average, 50 percent of the proceeds goes toward research, while the other 50 percent is sent to the treatment clinic to pay for supplies, entertainment and operations for the kids.

Along with the dance marathon, the executive board has developed other events to further support raise funds, including a singing competition, Raise Your Mic, and a UofL Welcome Week Zumba event. Most recently, raiseRED held its second Kid Prom, where kids from the treatment clinic had an opportunity to dress up and dance with raiseRED participants.

The goal of these events is to spread awareness that raiseRED is more than just an annual dance marathon, it is also a UofL tradition. More information about the event, including how to participate or donate, is .��