Two Whitley natives help plan DanceBlue

When University of Kentucky student Nick Joseph,  a senior from Lexington, was traveling through an airport recently, the UK T-shirt he was wearing and a yellow DanceBlue ribbon pinned to his backpack caught the eye of another traveler.

The curious traveler struck up a conversation with Joseph to ask if he was a part of DanceBlue at UK. As it turned out, the other traveler was a UK graduate who had also been involved in the dance marathon while a student at UK. This was not the first time that Joseph shared a connection with someone because of his affiliation with one of the fastest-growing philanthropies in the Southeastern Conference.

If you live in Kentucky, chances are you’ve heard of DanceBlue, a year-long effort of fundraising events that culminates in a 24-hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon.

DanceBlue is an entirely student-run organization on campus that to date, has raised $18.3 million to support the UK Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH) Hematology/Oncology Clinic through the Golden Matrix Funds.

Two local residents were among the student leaders, who helped organize Dance Blue this year and who served on the leadership committee.

Chris Tan of Williamsburg was on the corporate committee.

Hollie Clifton of Corbin was involved with family relations.

Now going into its 17 year, DanceBlue is one of UK’s largest and most highly anticipated fundraisers, born from the wishes of a selfless little boy, Jarrett Mynear, a pediatric cancer patient at KCH Hematology/Oncology Clinic. In his short life, Jarrett only wanted to encourage and bring joy to patients like himself, and he did so by passing out toys from ‘Jarrett’s Joy Cart.’

After his passing in 2002, his mother, Jennifer Mynear, carried out Jarrett’s last wishes which included making KCH’s Hematology/Oncology Clinic a better place for patients and their families. One little boy, a big dream and a cart full of stuffed animals led to a cause that has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming nationally recognized and often inspiring other student organizations across the country to take up similar, worthy causes.

This has become Jarrett Mynear’s legacy, uniting people in communities across the Commonwealth and far beyond, to help children and their families affected by cancer.

Jennifer Derk, DanceBlue’s marketing chair and a senior from New Lenox, Ill., said fundraising events had to go on despite the challenges of a pandemic because children being diagnosed with cancer doesn’t stop. Despite the pandemic and a dance marathon that had to be held virtually, over $1 million was raised in 2021.

“Seeing how much we could do during a pandemic, and seeing the community come together for this one common bond we share, has been one of my biggest rewards. We are a completely student-run organization of incredible people who are powerful and motivated to work for children in the community,” Derk said.