This year Great Crossing High School and Scott County High School hosted their third-annual DanceBlue mini-marathon on February 2nd, 2025, at Scott County High School. After months of fundraising, the DanceBlue committee announced at the marathon that they had raised $25,184.52 for the University of Kentucky’s Hematology and Oncology unit.
DanceBlue’s mission overall is to honor Jarrett Mynear’ s final request: “do something to help the Clinic.” Jarrett Mynear was a very special 13-year-old boy who lived in the central Kentucky community of Nicholasville. The thing that made Jarrett a little different from most kids was that he was diagnosed with cancer six times from two years old until he succumbed to the disease at age 13. As a patient himself, Jarrett knew that being in the hospital is scary and lonely. So, Jarrett’s goal to start the Joy Cart was to bring excitement and joy into every child’s hospital stay with his goals and wishes for every child. Funds raised by DanceBlue help provide activities for children at the DanceBlue Hematology/Oncology Clinic at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
Melissa Smith, one of the faculty advisors for the event said, “This year was our third DanceBlue, and I’ve been able to see committee members grow in their commitment and leadership to DanceBlue. Watching the group that took on the challenge of helping to build something from the ground up as sophomores become our senior leaders was special.¨
Smith stated “DanceBlue’s slogan is “Joy always prevails” and it’s a phrase that permeates everything we do. The opportunity to give of yourself in service of others is all about the joy it brings, not only to those pediatric cancer patients and their families, but to those who serve. ¨
A lot of hard work and effort is put into making DanceBlue possible. Senior Anna Murphy, a member of the committee said, “First of all, we spent a long time decorating the gym, even before the day of the dance. We spent the week before making homemade ribbons for our sponsors to show their support. During the mini, we had themed hours like tailgate, rave, and battle of the birds. The committee worked hard to come up with ideas and games for each hour that would keep everyone entertained. Another thing that took a lot of effort was all the free food – the fundraising committee worked super hard to get food sponsors so that we could offer free food at the event. This year, the mini marathon was extra special for me, because I have been on the committee for DanceBlue since my sophomore year, and have watched as it has gotten more and more successful!“
Senior Olivia Noffsinger served as the committee chair for GCHS and said “DanceBlue is able to make an impact on so many people’s lives. Not just for why we do Danceblue as in for the University of Kentucky Hematology/Oncology clinic, but also for the ability to spread awareness about children’s cancer within our school. With the help from Bailey Maxwell and Peyton Broaddus, who are the new overall chair leaders for DanceBlue 2025-2026, their goal is to raise $30,000 or even more and for more school involvement.”
