HuskyTHON 2020

Corey

What is his favorite song to dance to?

“All songs. Corey loves music and dancing.” – Corey’s Parents

Meet Maddie & Emily

As the Co-Directors of Campus Affairs for HuskyTHON 2020, we are involved in expanding and enhancing HuskyTHON’s presence across campus! This year, we are so excited to be working on the Membership Team. We work to engage the UConn community in all things HuskyTHON in many ways, a few being hosting general information sessions and speaking to first year students. This year, we look forward to spreading our energy and love for HuskyTHON to reach the many crevices of this amazing UConn community. We act as liaisons for students to ask any and all related HuskyTHON questions! Our goal is to help all students have the information and resources they need to succeed and enjoy being involved with HuskyTHON in any and all ways!

Meet Joe and Simone

We are beyond excited to be serving as HuskyTHON 2020’s Co-Directors of Dancer Relations! We can’t wait to make this the BEST year yet with all of you amazing Dancer Reps and Dancers. We are here to help you throughout the year with encouraging your teams to fundraise, relaying info about campus events, and preparing you for the night of. This would not be possible without all of you enthusiastic and dedicated dancers! So make sure to use us as a resource for any of your questions or concerns. This is going to be an incredible year for Connecticut Children’s and we need you to be all in!

Meet Will & Kathleen

We’re HYPED to be HuskyTHON 2020’s Co-Directors of Morale!! (especially because our team is made up of HuskyTHON’s best hype-men)! As the Co-Directors of Morale, we’re responsible for selecting a team of about 100 Morale Captains who are passionate, enthusiastic, and driven…and most importantly, love to dance for the kids! We also get to be creative and put our dancing skills to the test, as we create and choreograph the Morale Mix and Morale Dance, a ten-minute mashup that every Morale Captain then learns throughout the year. Then, at the top of every hour during HuskyTHON 2020, we all perform this dance to keep energy and spirits high! If you have any questions, please let us know.

Meet Emma Z

I am honored to be this years Vice President of Membership! In this role I am lucky enough to work with all members of the HuskyTHON community. I lead and work closely with the Membership Team, consisting of the Co-Directors of Morale, the Co-Directors of Dancer Relations, and the Co-Directors of Campus Affairs. Together, we work to implement recruitment, retention, and stewardship efforts while ensuring each participant is informed and engaged throughout the year. I help to organize initiatives such as Registration Week, Child Health Day, and interactive tabling across campus in order to spread the word about HuskyTHON and ensure that our members are appreciated for their hard work and dedication to our cause. I am so excited for HuskyTHON 2020 and can’t wait to continue to build relationships with our amazing HuskyTHON community!

Meet Erin

I’m so excited to be serving as the Director of Strategic Fundraising this year! I am responsible for keeping track of all fundraisers run through HuskyTHON as well as any general fundraisers. I also work very closely with one of our partners, Positive Tracks, to help dancers run athletic fundraisers and ‘Sweat For Good’. I will be a point of contact for all things fundraising so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions!

Meet Julianna

I could not be more excited to be HuskyTHON 2020’s Director of Entertainment! My role is to make night-of as exciting as possible for dancers and miracle kids alike. Over the course of the year, my committee and I will be collaborating with various vendors and performers to bring energy and entertainment to all 18 hours. If you are interested in performing at HuskyTHON 2020, please reach out!

Meet Kiran

I am extremely excited to serve as the Director of Hospitality for HuskyTHON 2020! I am in charge of all things food related, specifically food fundraisers, such as the food truck festival and the pasta dinner, and providing food for any HuskyTHON related events including the night of!

Meet Annie

I’m so happy to serve as the Director of Special Events & Volunteers for HuskyTHON 2020! I am in charge of setting up the pre-HuskyTHON fundraising events, like ZumbaTHON, HuskyTHON Hunger Games, and more! I also am the person to talk to if you have any interest in volunteering for HuskyTHON. Volunteers are crucial in helping the night-of HuskyTHON run smoothly and making it a great event for the patients of Connecticut Children’s, their families, and all of our fundraisers and participants.

Meet Joe

The Vice President of Internal Relations plans the details and logistics for the night of HuskyTHON. I work closely with my team – the Director of Special Events & Volunteers, Director of Hospitality, Director of Entertainment, and Director of Strategic Fundraising – to ensure that all HuskyTHON events run smoothly. For the night of, I make a timeline detailing what is happening at HuskyTHON every five minutes, from food and activities to miracle stories and the morale dance. I also organize what the Management Team will be doing and coordinate supplies like the Morale Stage, microphones, and projector, that we need to have a successful event. Lastly, I have a plan to manage emergency situations that may arise during HuskyTHON.

Meet Caroline

I’m super excited to be this years Director of Canning. I’m your gal for anything and everything canning related! Canning is one of the easiest ways to fundraise and I highly recommend everyone try it at least once! Not only do you get to make some money for your personal total, but it’s an amazing opportunity to spread the magic of HuskyTHON through the community. As Director of Canning I’m responsible for contacting stores to set up canning dates for everyone at HuskyTHON, and just doing whatever I can to help people be as successful as possible. If you know of any businesses that would allow us to can outside their store, or have any ideas on how to make canning more successful, please contact me!

Meet Joel

I am super excited to be this year’s Director of Corporate Partnership. In this role, I am responsible for leasing with some of the partners that help make HuskyTHON the amazing event that it is. I help add to partners to our existing portfolio and look at interesting ways that we all can work together. In addition, I oversee the Corporate Partnership committee.

Meet Nick & Sydney

We are excited and humbled to be serving as Co-Directors of Donation Management this year! As Co-Directors we are jointly responsible for tracking, managing, and allocating all donations received by HuskyTHON. Additionally, we oversee the Finance Committee, who aid us in counting all the physical donations that come in.

Meet Ryan

I’m super excited to be serving as our VPF this year! In my role as Vice President of Finance I’m lucky enough to work with the Student Activities Business Office, our advisors, and the Finance Team to oversee all money that is raised and spent by HuskyTHON throughout the year. I create and maintain a budget to keep our expenses low (and our total high!), as well as project fundraising goals and track actual earnings. Within the Finance Team I work with corporate partnership, donation management, and canning to seek new partnership opportunities, track all physical money flowing through HuskyTHON, and continue to provide tons of canning opportunities for our participants. Overall, if it’s got to do with the money I’ve got my hands on it, so please reach out to myself or my team with any and all questions you may have about HuskyTHON finances!

Meet Prabhath & Morgan

We are so excited to serve as the Co-Directors of Hospital Relations for HuskyTHON 2020! As Co-Directors, our primary responsibility is to serve as the communication between the UConn community, our hospital advisors, and the miracle families. In order to create the most magical experience for the kids, we work year-round to organize the opening ceremony and invite children to HuskyTHON events! We are always for the kids and can’t wait to make HuskyTHON 2020 the most amazing year yet!

Meet Erin & Jamie

We are so excited to be Co-Directors of JonaTHONs for HuskyTHON 2020! “JonaTHONs” are fundraisers hosted by elementary, middle, and high schools that support HuskyTHON. JonaTHON events can vary in size and type, ranging from hat days to mini dance marathons. We recruit schools from all across Connecticut and help run these events in order to assure success and increase awareness for HuskyTHON and childhood illness. If you know of a school that would be interested in participating in the JonaTHONs program, please reach out to us! We will work with you to get in contact with the school and collaborate with the students and advisors to begin their very own JonaTHON!

Meet Emma S

I am so humbled and excited to be HuskyTHON 2020’s Vice President of External Relations. In this role I have the privilege to work with the many people outside of the student body that make HuskyTHON so successful. I lead and work closely with the External Relations team consisting of the Co-Directors of JonaTHONs and the Co-Directors of Hospital Relations, connecting us to elementary, middle and high schools around Connecticut who hold mini dance marathons and fundraisers as well as the children and families at Connecticut Children’s. As VP External Relations I work closely with UCONN staff and faculty, UCONN branch campuses, and HuskyTHON’s dedicated Alumni Board. I have the pleasure of working towards expanding, diversifying and growing the HuskyTHON community outside of the student body. I am so excited to see and work on all of the amazing things that HuskyTHON 2020 has in store! Always always ALWAYS for the kids!

Meet Nina

As the Director of Media, I am responsible for the maintenance of this beautiful website. I communicate with the rest of the Management Team to make sure the website is up-to-date. This website is crucial to communicating what HuskyTHON does, and what events the community and donors can get involved in throughout the year. I also work with the Media Committee to create and capture video/photo content to release to the HuskyTHON community. The slideshows shown on the night-of are created by me, featuring photographs from HuskyTHON events during the year. If you have any photo or video content from HuskyTHON you would like to share, please contact me at – we would love to use it!

Meet Maeve

I am extremely thrilled to be serving as the Director of Merchandise for HuskyTHON 2020! I am responsible for planning, designing and organizing the merchandise and apparel students, donors and families can purchase throughout the year. Additionally, I organize an online store and multiple pop-up shops during the year to sell our goods! I also work closely with the Communications Team to creatively spread our message on campus and beyond. I’m looking forward to a great year, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions related to merchandise!

Meet Anna

I am honored to be serving as the Director of Marketing for HuskyTHON 2020! I work with everyone on the management team to advertise all the events, fundraisers and news to the HuskyTHON community. I am in charge of running the Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, which all play important roles in getting the word out about all things HuskyTHON. I especially try to keep the awareness and morale high all year round for the most important weekend of the year! Send all of your HuskyTHON related pictures and videos to !

Meet Marisa

I am honored and excited to be serving as the Vice President of Communications for HuskyTHON 2020. In this position, I oversee all of HuskyTHON’s branding, messaging, and public relations with the goal of spreading our mission and increasing our reach. This includes creating and leading effective campaigns, advertising HuskyTHON’s messaging, and branding HuskyTHON both within and outside of the UConn community. I lead an incredible Communications team, allowing me to play a role in social media, graphic design, marketing, and merchandise. I also have the pleasure of collaborating with the entire Management team to effectively brand, advertise, and carry out events year-round. I interact with media contacts and news organizations statewide through writing press releases for events and appearing in on-air interviews in order to spread awareness of both HuskyTHON and Connecticut Children’s. I am looking forward to an incredible year with HuskyTHON!

Meet Bridget

I am extremely honored and thrilled to be serving as the Creative Director for HuskyTHON 2020! As the Creative Director, it is my job to help create and coordinate all artistic sides of HuskyTHON from the graphics we post on our social media to the flyers you see around campus. I get the incredible opportunity to work closely with everyone on our amazing Management Team in order to help represent and extend HuskyTHON’s presence beyond the UConn campus. I could not be more excited to join together as a community to make HuskyTHON 2020 the best one yet!

Meet Emma K

I am honored and proud to be serving as HuskyTHON’s Executive Director this year! I oversee anything and everything related to HuskyTHON, as I work with the entire 27-person Management Team all year to create and mobilize our organization’s movement. From things like recruitment to finances, I help my directors make sure everything goes as planned. I collaborate with the Steering Board of Vice Presidents and our advisors to ensure we are best executing Dance Marathon “best practices” in order to successfully raise funds and support for Connecticut Children’s and the families it serves – so that we can make HuskyTHON 2020 the best and brightest year yet!

Alyssa

What does HuskyTHON mean to you?

“HuskyTHON means my favorite day during my first year as a UConn student, and a way to show our enormous love and support for the kids.”

Alex

Why is HuskyTHON more than 18 hours?

“HuskyTHON never truly ends, even after that 18 hours is over. Every single day, kids are admitted into Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, so every day is another opportunity to honor them and contribute everything I can to their growth and survival.”

Meet Tori

Grad Year

2016

Current City

Durham, NC

Previous HuskyTHON Involvement

2017: Dancer

2016: Co-Director of Morale

2015: Morale Captain

2014: Dancer

Why did you decide to join the Alumni Board

When I graduated, I felt a huge void not participating in something that had been such an integral part of my life at UConn. With my schedule, I wasn’t able to attend HuskyTHON 2017, and I was heartbroken. I wanted to find a way to continue being involved from afar that was more than fundraising. Luckily I was able to join the board later that year, and it has been amazing to be a part of the growth of both the alumni team and HuskyTHON over the past two years.

What advice would you give to Alumni looking to stay involved in HuskyTHON?

My advice would be to help out in any way that you can! Whether it’s donating to dancers, attending alumni events, joining the board… or all three! HuskyTHON will never not need the support of each and every one of us to be the best it can be.

Ashleigh

If you could meet one person in the whole wide world, from any time ever, who would it be and why?

“Maddie Ziegler from Dance Mom’s because she is a great dancer and really nice to every one.” -Ashleigh

Charlotte

What do you want to be when you grow up?

“Oncology nurse or doctor at Connecticut Children’s” -Charlotte

Quinn

If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

“Mom’s homemade pierogi and goat cheese pizza from Camille’s” -Quinn

Emma

What is your personal reason for dancing?

“I have been a patient at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center since I was 9 months old, when I was diagnosed with a blood disorder, hereditary spherocytosis. The doctors, nurses, and medical staff at Connecticut Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders have provided me nothing but the best care over the past 19 years, whether it be for a regular appointment, a blood transfusion, or a surgery. Because of them, I was allowed to enjoy every part of growing up – playing sports, hanging out with friends, enjoying time with family, going to school, and all the little things in between – without having to worry about the symptoms of my blood disorder. I have never felt as though my blood disorder has held me back, and that is all due to the guidance and help that CCMC has given me over the years. I dance with HuskyTHON so that Connecticut Children’s Medical Center can continue to enable every kid who walks through its doors to live the life that they dream of, just as it has for me!” -Emma Kryzanski, HuskyTHON 2018 Morale Captain

Emma

What is your favorite color?

“Glitter” -Emma

Lily

If you can meet one person in the whole wide world, from any time ever, who would it be and why?

“Rapunzel, so I can play with and brush her hair” -Lily

Meet Julia

What do you want to be when you grow up?

CCMC Employee

If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

Pasta

What is your favorite song to dance to?

Closer

What is your favorite movie and why?

Mean girls, it makes me laugh

What is your favorite cartoon, tv, or movie character and why?

Minnie Mouse, she likes pink and bows

What is your favorite color?

Pink

If you could meet one person in the whole wide world, from any time ever, who would it be and why?

Beyonce

Meet Rich

Position

Stamford Events Co-Chair