Six Flags Darien Lake Holds Dance Marathon for Children’s Miracle Network

Updated: Oct. 15

News Facts

• Six Flags Entertainment Corp. announced that it will be partnering with Children’s Miracle Network to hold a 12-hour dance marathon at Six Flags Darien Lake in Buffalo, New York, in the summer of 2020. 
• Miracle Network Dance Marathons have historically only been held on college and high school campuses. This will be the first Dance Marathon held at an amusement park.
• All of the money raised at this event will benefit the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York. It will go towards building the Upstate Center for Special Needs, which will provide care for kids all across the Upstate New York area get the care they need. 
• Six Flags Darien Lake will be donating money to OttoTHON (Syracuse University’s Dance Marathon) and Big Red THON (Cornell University’s Dance Marathon), both of which fundraise for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. 
• On the day of the event at Six Flags, a portion of all sales will go to Children’s Miracle Network, and the kids and families who have been treated at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital will receive free park admission for the day. 
• Six Flags Darien Lake will be calling the dance marathon “Our Heroes Day,” because “the kids fighting their battles against pediatric illness are our heroes,” and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. has a partnership with DC Comics. The park is superhero themed, and the kids will be bringing the superheroes to life. 
• Six Flags Darien Lake chose to partner with Children’s Miracle Network because it believes that every kid should have the opportunity to have fun with their families, without the worry of cost or accommodations. 
• On the day of the event, Six Flags Darien Lake will have extra staff members at the park to make the day as memorable and safe for the kids as possible by making accommodations to make the rides and attractions accessible for each of the kids. 

Quotations

“Six Flags Entertainment Corp. has always been passionate about providing a one-stop-shop location for family fun, and now that the Darien Lake park has joined the Six Flags family, we are excited to provide the same fun for the kids who are treated at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. As a whole, Six Flags clearly loves our DC Comics heroes, but none of them are quite as special as the kids out there fighting the real battles every single day,” said Jim Reid-Anderson, CEO of Six Flags Entertainment Corp. 

“We are so grateful for everything that Six Flags Darien Lake is doing for the kids and families at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Their generous contribution will make a huge difference in the lives of the kids, and the day of the event will be one they will never forget,” said Dr. Gregory P. Conners, the executive director of Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. 

“As a dance marathon director, I get to see a lot of amazing students do a lot of amazing things to help the kids at their local hospitals. To see this movement now expanding into other realms outside of college campuses is something I never expected to see, but it’s certainly amazing. Six Flags is setting an example that I hope other companies will follow in the future,” said Gaelan McCartney who is the dance marathon director for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

About

Children’s Miracle Network was founded in 1983 to raise money and awareness for the children’s hospitals that provide care for kids all over the United States and Canada. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals provide 32 million treatments yearly, and it aims to relieve the financial burdens not covered by insurance, because the primary focus when you have a child fighting for their life should never be monetary. Miracle Network Dance Marathon is one aspect of Children’s Miracle Network’s fundraising outlets. Students across the country fundraise for their local hospitals by dancing for 12 hours and receiving donations from friends and family. 

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is a one-stop-shop location for all things fun and entertainment. It provides a wide variety of options for kids, teens, adults and families including rides, games, music, food and attractions. 

Related Links

• sixflags.com
• childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/history
• ottothon.com
• dancemarathon.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org

For more information:
Mya Pfeifer
Social Media Director
mnpfeife@syr.edu
(847) 922-7541

The following information is not intended to be factual but is part of a class assignment on writing social media news releases at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University, October 2019. All information is intended to be sourced appropriately.