Photos: Knight-Thon 2022
Knight-Thon returned to full capacity this year in the Addition Financial Arena. This 20-hour event that run through all of Saturday into Sunday morning is put on annually to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. These hospitals, such as Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, rely on donations and community support to give the best care possible.
Participants from Greek life and other UCF clubs came to support. Participants are required to stand for the whole 20 hours, honoring the kids who are stuck in their hospital beds every day. Events such as silent disco, rave hour and a talent show kept the participants on their feet. Each hour, a miracle family would come up and speak to the participants. These are the families that have been impacted by CMN hospitals.
At the end of the event, the total amount raised is revealed. Everyone gets to see how their hard work has paid off throughout the year leading up to the big event.
Participants of the event sit down before eventually standing for 20 hours in support for the kids who face challenges every day. The Addition Financial Arena was used for this event.
Greek life and different UCF clubs made banners to support the event. The banners were all around the arena. Each banner had a different theme, and some were dedicated to a miracle child.
UCF President Alexander Cartwright and First Lady Melinda Cartwright spoke to the participants in the opening ceremony. Cartwright expressed his gratitude for what the students were doing for the kids.
Participants share a toast with Arnold Palmer tea as the proceeds go to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Arnold Palmer is a Children's Miracle Network Hospital. There are many more CMN hospitals across North America that rely on donations and community support to help miracles happen.
Games were set up around the arena to keep students up and moving throughout the day and night. One of the more popular games was nine square in the air.
One of the miracle families of the night walked through the "Miracle Tunnel" formed by the participants. These miracle families are ones that have been impacted by a Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Now, these families come back to tell their story and support the participants.
Participants kneeled whenever a miracle family spoke to the crowd. One of the miracle kids, Myles, stood on stage with his family as they told his story. Families like these are impacted by the CMN hospitals because they saved their child's life.
Fourth-year dancers were honored on stage during the event. A video of their four years participating played on the screen behind them. These dancers had only two years of full in-person Knight-Thon, 2019 and 2022. In 2020, it was held virtually and in 2021, it was help at Memory Mall with limited participants.
A talent show for the miracle kids was held Saturday evening during the main event. Lauren (pictured above) showed off her karate moves. When Lauren was born, Winnie Palmer caught a congenital heart defect, which required open-heart surgery. Now, she has mastered a black belt in karate.
Students form a conga line during silent disco. Silent disco is when everyone has headphones on, which is connected to a DJ playing music. From the outside, it looks like students dancing to no music.
One of the performances of the event was Knights and Damsels Dance Co. There were three different performances by the group, each having a different tone and vibe.
High schools near the UCF area hosted their own dance marathons throughout the year. They made a total of $344,571.84 that contributed to Knight-Thon's final total. Schools such as Timber Creek High School and Windermere High School contributed along with eight other schools.
At the end of the 20-hour event, Knight-Thon raised $811,589.26 in total for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. UCF's CMN hospital is Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. The money goes toward expensive equipment for the hospital to help miracles happen.
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