VIDEO: Crystal Lake Central Dance-A-Thon

Close to 200 Crystal Lake Central students danced the night away Saturday for a good cause.

Every year, Central hosts a charity week. This year, a group of student leaders from Central decided to hold a dance-a-thon to raise money for the children's cardiac unit at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

They were inspired by former student Colleen Gleason who underwent a second heart transplant surgery just last month at Lurie, and by Central guidance counselor Tamara Jazwinski, whose son, Matthew, now a fifth-grader in Cary, had three heart surgeries at Lurie.

Central students signed up for the dance-a-thon as teams - 10 people per team, and asked friends and family for donations. Organizers hope to raise $5,000 for Lurie.

The total amount of money raised by the dance-a-thon was not yet available as of Saturday, oraganizers said.

Anyone wanting to donate to the cause can write a check to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, or donate online with a credit card by clicking on the link on the Crystal Lake Central homepage, which will lead users to a donation site.

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