Festa Parties Sponsors and Participates in the CHICAGO Dance Marathon for Third Year in a Row

CHICAGO, IL, February 04, 2013 (Press-News.org) Festa Parties will be participating in the CHICAGO Dance Marathon, which takes place on March 2, 2013 from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. The Chicago Dance Marathon is a 13.1-hour-long charity event during which participants can dance and hear the inspiring stories of patient families from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. The hospital, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital, is a new state-of-the-art hospital located in downtown Chicago on the campus of its academic partner, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Lurie Children's is ranked as one of the nation's top children's hospitals by U.S.News & World Report. The hospital relies on philanthropic support to care for the children and their families. The funds raised from this event will be donated to the Lurie Children's Hospital.

For the last three years, in association with TBOX, the "Twelve Bars of Xmas" pub crawl, Festa Parties has been a Silver Sponsor of the Chicago Dance Marathon. Festa Parties has donated and raised over $40,000. Volunteers from the CHICAGO Dance Marathon have also assisted with TBOX, acting as bar hosts at all of the participating bars, and ensuring TBOX attendees are enjoying the game. Morgan Rohrbach, Sr. Development Officer with the hospital, states, "It's been such a pleasure working with Festa Parties over the past 3 years in their support of Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago through CHICAGO Dance Marathon. We are humbled and grateful for the support that they provide for the over 149,000 kids that we treat each year at Lurie Children's. Chris Festa and his team continue to bend over backwards for the hospital and the kids. They have huge hearts and we are so blessed to have them on our team! Beyond the wonderful sponsorship support that they provide they are the ones that continue to collaborate with us here at the hospital in finding new ways to raise funds and awareness for Lurie Children's. Not to mention, Chris and his team have some great dance moves and have shown their continued support to the kids by standing and dancing for 13.1 hours year after year at CHICAGO Dance Marathon! We are so fortunate to find partners like Festa Parties and who really know what it means to be all for the kids!"

Two dozen Festa friends and Royal Court members have participated in the dance marathon over the past three years. "The stories were touching, and it was a good feeling knowing that we, Festa Parties, were able to make a difference in the lives of children and families in need," recounted former participant JoAnna Siciliano. This year, Festa Parties has a team of 13 that will be dancing the day away for the great cause. Tracey Kiefer, who is a returning team member for her third year, said "I am really most look forward to the chance to interact with the kids and their families. Our first year we were lucky enough to meet Rosie Colucci, and her story and courageous battle truly touched my heart and drove home how easy it is for us to help improve the lives of these kids. We've met so many of the families and children, but getting to catch up with Rosie and be inspired by her never failing spirit and determination is something that I look forward to every year and will always stay with me. I'm so thankful to Festa Parties and Chris for making it possible for us to participate in this wonderful event and give us a chance to have fun giving back." Mark Rieman, second time dancer, also recalled Rosie's inspiring story. In addition, he stated that "This year, my motivation has evolved. At the end of the night last year, one last family told the story of their experience with the hospital. They spoke of their wonderful son. The ups and downs of what they experienced. During their story, I kept waiting for the positive outcome, for their son to come out and speak to the attendees. That moment didn't come. The father spoke of losing his son. The stories throughout the day changed my inspiration for participating. This year I'm motivated to participate to raise money for research so children and parents may one day not have to experience what these families experience."

Festa Parties is a Chicago-based company that produces lively and popular events like TBOX, BeadQuest, and Cover Your Bases. We also contribute extensively to local charities and community organizations.

For further information, please visit: http://www.festaparties.com