ITHACA, N.Y. – On December 7, Ithaca College hosted its first-ever BomberTHON to benefit Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse.
 
In its inaugural year, Ithaca College set a fundraising goal of $15,000, and in true Bomber fashion, went above and beyond all expectations. Ultimately, Ithaca raised a total of $28,233.22 for Golisano, including $7,194 raised by IC athletics teams.
  Women's crew tipped the scales with $2,064 to lead the fundraising efforts of the athletic department. Men's lacrosse raised nearly $1,000 while both men's and women's soccer tallied more than $700 for the cause. Field hockey notched more than $600 while men's swimming and diving reached $500 in total funds.
 
Women's golf, women's swimming and diving, women's track and field and cross country, football, women's tennis and men's track and field also contributed funds to held IC smash its $15,000 goal.
 
In addition to dancing, various other activities and the big fundraising reveal, the day also included a special presentation to 13-year-old Damon Goga, who is a cancer survivor treated at Golisano. He received gifts from several IC athletics teams.
 
Men's soccer junior Lee Folger, who has been heavily involved in the planning process since day one and served as the day's Chief Morale Captain, was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for BomberTHON in its first year.
 
"I walked backstage and I saw the first two numbers, I saw the two and the eight and I actually started crying," said Folger. "It was really powerful. I expected to be emotional but it was one of the most powerful things I've ever experienced."
 
After the idea of BomberTHON was born last year, there were several snags in the process that nearly halted the entire day. The team regrouped and reworked expectations to pull off an amazing event this year, which made it even more special, according to Folger.
 
"Just to know all of the months of hard work, all the ups and the downs, going through last semester where we thought we might not even be able to have it … To be able to come to that moment and have that awesome reveal and to see everybody's faces, it was so cool to exceed expectations," said Folger.
 
In addition to athletics, many other groups across campus were involved in fundraising and attending. The event had a steady flow of people throughout the day and to see the campus come together like that was one of the most special parts of it all, according to Folger.
 
"Something that was really, really cool was seeing so many different aspects of campus coming together, which is part of why I love this event," said Folger. I think at times college campuses, including this one, can feel divided. You've got athletes, you've got kids in different schools but there were people from every school, people from every walk of life."
 
Now that the 2019 BomberTHON is over, the Executive Board which includes Folger and IC volleyball player Katie Basey, is focused on reflecting and looking towards next year.
 
"We want to focus on making sure that everyone who has been a part of this really knows how much it meant to us. It is truly special and we want to make sure they know how appreciated they are," said Folger. "We are focusing on what we learned from this year and we've already started looking at things for next year which is really cool. We are really excited about the potential of what we can do next year."
 
---------
 
The BomberTHON is part of a larger movement of Miracle Network Dance Marathons to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that raises funds and awareness for more than 170 pediatric hospitals across North America.
 
THON is a student-run philanthropy that is committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. It provides emotional and financial support, spreads awareness and helps fund critical research, striving to find a cure.