#GDTBATH: Kayla Kilts

Kayla Kilts came to Carolina searching for an opportunity to break into the pediatric healthcare field after becoming interested in psychology in high school when she saw the value of counseling during a tumultuous time in her own life. She wanted a career that involved helping people face their own challenges, and she found the perfect group to kick start that career in Carolina for the Kids.

“I went to my first FallFest in 2019, and someone from the Carolina for the Kids’ executive board asked if I was interested in a volunteer opportunity at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital,” said Kilts, a junior psychology major and neuroscience and speech and hearing sciences minor. “I immediately signed up to be on a committee, and I’ve been involved with the group ever since.”

Carolina for the Kids is a student-run volunteer organization that provides emotional and financial support for the patients and families served by the North Carolina Children’s Hospital through year-long fundraising campaigns and events. The group focuses on assisting families with expenses not covered by insurance, such as utility bills, fuel gas for traveling to doctor’s appointments and meal vouchers.

March 26 will mark an in-person return to Carolina for the Kids’ biggest fundraiser that has raised more than $7 million since its founding: the no-sitting, no-sleeping UNC Dance Marathon, where donors sponsor students to stand for 12 hours in solidarity with the families at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital. It will also be Kilts’ first in-person marathon.

“I signed up for the marathon my first year at Carolina, but that also happened to be the spring that COVID-19 emerged, and it was canceled,” said Kilts. “I was still inspired to stay with Carolina for the Kids because pre-COVID I had the chance to visit the pediatric playroom and meet the children and parents we were serving, so I saw how much of an impact we could make.”

Despite the 2021 Dance Marathon also being remote, Kilts continued to volunteer her time and became a sub-chair, and now chair, of entertainment on Carolina for the Kids leadership board.

“I feel like I’ve really come out of my shell and learned how to be a leader in the last two years,” said Kilts. “Once I opened up and started to receive positive feedback from my peers, I felt valued even though I was just one person among hundreds in this organization trying to put on this huge event.”

She is now in charge of planning an event she was never able to attend while also ensuring that the marathon is a safe and fun experience for all the participants who will also be experiencing it for the first time.

Kilts and the other members of the leadership board decided to shorten the typically 24-hour event to 12 hours this year, making it more accessible to all, lessening the amount of time dancers will spend indoors and increasing their enrollment numbers, especially considering many students on campus, like Kilts, have never had the chance to attend.

The marathon traditionally includes participation from many other student organizations, and this year is no exception. Fourteen groups, including Carolina Jump Rope, Cadence Acapella and Flying Silk, will perform for the dancers.

Kilts and her committee have also planned more outdoor activities this year, including a sunset walk around Kenan Stadium, a colored chalk packet toss to dye T-shirts and a two-hour carnival with local bands, games and food from Chapel Hill restaurants.

“We have more performers this year than any marathon in the last five years, I think, because there are so many student groups who haven’t had the chance for many in-person performances or recruitment events,” said Kilts. “There are also a couple of athletic teams who plan on attending. The campus community is really coming together to help us make this a great return to an in-person marathon.”

In 22 days, all of Kilts and the Carolina for the Kids’ board’s hard work will come to fruition when the UNC Dance Marathon takes over Fetzer Hall and hundreds of students remain standing for 12 hours to raise thousands of dollars for the patients and families served by the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

“Organizing an event as large as the marathon can be stressful at times, especially in the context of a worldwide pandemic, but making it fun for other students and seeing them get really excited about our mission makes it totally worth it for me,” said Kilts.

Learn more about Carolina for the Kids and the 2022 UNC Dance Marathon.