Money for Dance Marathon is raised throughout the year, but the fundraising comes to a head on a Sunday afternoon in February when the bleary-eyed dancers are near the finish line. Dancers remain on their feet 32 consecutive hours at the Leon County Civic Center, bringing a climax to months of organization and planning for the largest student fundraising event on campus.

The money is split evenly between FSU and the Children’s Miracle Network and is invested locally through pediatric outreach efforts of the FSU College of Medicine. In 2007, the event raised $315,000 and provided for the expansion of student health clinics in two Gadsden County schools to include full-service primary care, including a nurse practitioner on the College of Medicine faculty who works full-time in the schools.

That effort is intended to help address a disparity in health outcomes in Gadsden County that include rates of teen pregnancy, heart disease, obesity and diabetes that exceed state averages. Infant mortality in Gadsden County is the highest of any county in the state and exceeds that of 75 countries.

“Early intervention, preventive care and health education could improve some of these health outcomes,’’ said Dr. Maggie Blackburn, assistant professor of family medicine and rural health at the College of Medicine. “School-based health clinics have been shown to provide a health-care safety net for school-age children, so we believe this project will have a measurable effect.’’

Sponsors pledge money with the dancers, or donate directly through Dance Marathon’s Web site, where donations are accepted throughout the year: http://dancemarathon.fsu.edu