Students who are unable to boogie all night long in Dance Marathon but still want to contribute will have their chance today by eating and hanging out at their favorite spots on or near the Strip.

Sunspot, Hanna’s, Mike and Willy’s and Cool Beans will be donating a certain percentage of their food sales or cover charges today to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

Dance Marathon on the Strip 2001 will last from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Patrons can ask whether businesses are donating percentages based on sales of all food, appetizer and dessert sales or cover charges.

Proceeds from this event and Dance Marathon will go to the hematology and oncology departments of the hospital.

This is the first year that Dance Marathon on the Strip is happening, and we feel it is a great way to get student who do not feel they can participate in Dance Marathon to contribute to a great cause, said Dana Arnold, co-director of development for Dance Marathon 2001.

According to Arnold, the event is designed to reach out to different people in the Knoxville community, and the Dance Marathon committee hopes it will go on for years to come.

We hope that this event is a success and will be continued in the future, Arnold said. We greatly appreciate the businesses’ willingness to work with UT Dance Marathon.