“I don’t know where I would be, if I wasn’t organizing this,” says VHS Junior Nikita Joshi, referring to Dance Marathon, the fourteen hour dance-a-thon to raise money for autism. “I remember when I was little, I would look in the mirror and think: what’s my purpose?  Now I realize that this – this – is it.” Scheduled for the spring, this project is entirely her creation.

Nikita was inspired to pursue the complicated and time-consuming endeavor when she visited her brother Kunal (VHS ’08) who was on the board committee for fundraising events at Northwestern.

“I was amazed by everything,” she explains excitedly, “I decided that I wanted to be a part of it too!”  Nikita clarifies that while she was there she participated in one of her brother’s organized 30 hour dance marathons for autism.  This was the catalyst for Dance Marathon.

After exposure to the event, creating one of her own was all Nikita could think about.  The seed was planted.  “I literally started sketching out plans on the plane ride home,” she admits.  However it took a lot for those plans on paper to take shape in real life.  After guidance from her brother, a veteran of these events, Nikita called Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to improving healthcare for autistic Americans and increasing autism awareness.   “They definitely gave me the confidence to continue,” she says.

Next, she contacted local businesses in Verona asking for support.  Many responded positively, including Costco which will make food donations for the event.  “When I found out, I started screaming I was so excited,” she laughs.

But not all of this was fun and easy.  It has taken Nikita months to call businesses, representatives from Autism Speaks as well as other autism awareness agencies, not to mention the connections she needs for food vendors, music, and entertainment.  She said she had to clear the Dance Marathon with Verona Police Department, Verona Fire Department, the school board, and the superintendent.

“It took a while to get my plans approved because it really is a liability,” she says ruefully.

Dance Marathon begins April 6 at 9 a.m. in the VHS new gym and will end at 11 p.m. that night. The event is broken down into five sessions, four of which will be three hours and the final session clocking in at two hours.  The last session is mandatory for anyone participating.  To participate, each candidate must pay or fundraise $20 per session.  Each session will have a different theme and live music.  Nikita plans on having a DJ at the event as well.  Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner will be served in the school’s cafeteria to sustain the participants.  A first aid medical staff will be set up in the old gym in case of injury or emergency.

“I can’t wait,” Nikita beams, “All I could think of on that plane ride home was ‘this is going to happen’.  It’s such a widespread issue and every little bit we can do helps.”