Despite single-digit temperatures, some two dozen Iowa State University students plan to start a weeklong torch run today across a wide piece of Iowa, from Iowa City to Ames. Lisa Baum is director of the Children’s Miracle Network at the Children’s Hospital of Iowa, based at University Hospitals in Iowa City. That’s the starting point for the run, beginning at noon. The goal is to gain exposure, running from town to town in every county between Johnson County and Story County. Baum says the runners are helping to promote a dance marathon that will be held Saturday at I-S-U which aims to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Iowa at the U-of-I. The 15-hour event starts at nine o’clock Saturday morning and goes until midnight. They’ll be dancing for kids who can’t dance, Baum says, patients at the Iowa City hospital. About 200 family members of patients are expected to attend the marathon. Baum says each of the 400-some students who’ll be dancing needs to bring at least 150-dollars to get in. The goal of the dance marathon is 100-thousand dollars and Baum says many I-S-U Greek houses and other university groups compete to raise the most money. The runners will deliver the torch to the opening ceremony for the dance marathon on the I-S-U campus Saturday morning. More than 130-thousand children receive care at the Children’s Hospital of Iowa and its statewide network of outreach clinics every year.
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