The annual Riley Dance Marathon is undoubtedly one of Herron High School’s most impactful clubs–not just for the kids, but for all parties involved: club executives, marathon attendees, and of course, the sponsors that foster RDM’s success and amplify its goodwill.
Ms. Tatum Theaman has been a Riley sponsor for four years, and has been a part of the cause for even longer. She contributed to the initial founding of Riley Dance Marathon when she went to Herron herself during her junior and senior years. Theaman said that being in RDM had “such a profound impact” on her in high school, that she ensured to immediately join once she went to college to continue creating righteousness for the kids at Riley Hospital.
During her time as an RDM member at Purdue University, her efforts to help remained unwavering, even going as far as standing for up to over twenty hours straight in a giraffe onesie for the marathon (Pictured on the left with her cousins! Her younger cousin, on the left, is a patient at Riley Hospital). As rigorous as it is, the results are incredibly rewarding: In 2017, Theaman (Pictured below, holding the second “9”) helped raise over a million dollars for the Purdue University Dance Marathon.
Now, Theaman is a sponsor at Herron for our own Riley Dance Marathon. She finds that the hardest part of being a sponsor is the week leading up, with all of the coordinating, setting up, and preparations. However, her favorite part of being a sponsor far outweighs these pressures: knowing the total amount raised the entire time, seeing the stress and nerves of the members, and the immense relief in their reactions once the total is revealed. The 2025 RDM total came out to be over twenty-three thousand dollars, with some fluctuations due to last minute donations. A few standout leaders that contributed are Evyana Walgenbach (12th), who started the same year Theaman started sponsoring, and worked her way up as president, and lots of freshmen, such as Opal Anderson, Avery Hoffman, Amelia Burrough, and Evie Speicher, who hopefully plan to have long-term membership.
Resilience, strength, and capability are what RDM have taught Theaman throughout her years of being a member and sponsor of the marathon. A few things that encourage her are knowing she has the “power of doing everything you can for a cause, no matter how small”, the idea of working on something bigger than herself, and meeting Riley kids.
Riley Dance Marathon is currently wrapping things up with their executive team, appointing a new executive team, setting dates for next year, and are doing lots of prep, which goes to show the entire team’s vast amount of planning that go into these marathons. Being an active member of such a significant cause is a task Theaman steadily faces with incredible diligence, and a great part of it’s success is definitely credited to her. RDM continues to be a truly worthwhile cause, and Herron’s team is only working harder to guarantee next year’s marathon to be just as, if not more, prosperous.
