Meet the RUDM Office
Matt Ramina is currently a freshman in the Rutgers Honors College studying computer science. Although at first glance he appears to be a normal college student, Matt is one of the top fundraisers for RUDM 2018, and with good reason: he is a recent Embrace Kids Foundation patient.
At the start of his senior year in high school, Matt was diagnosed with cancer and introduced to Embrace Kids Foundation. Matt says that the representatives of Embrace Kids Foundation were “a beacon of hope and comfort in an extremely challenging and stressful environment”. He was also paired with the Greek organization Kappa Delta Rho through the RU4Kids program. One moment that really changed Matt’s perspective of RUDM was family hour of RUDM 2017. “Seeing the outpouring of support and love from the Rutgers community made me feel at home and excited to contribute. I could feel the anticipation in the room as the numbers started going up, but what I remember most is the explosive wave of energy that came over the dancers as the zero was raised, signifying that DM broke the $1M barrier! I still get shivers every time I see that reveal on video.”
Matt is in a unique position in that he gets to experience RUDM as not only a Rutgers student who is dancing for this cause, but he is also directly impacted by the money RUDM raises. Matt says that what makes RUDM and Embrace Kids Foundation so special is the “local impact that DM has compared to other organizations. Whereas donating to nationwide organizations allows for funding of research and awareness (which, to be sure, are noble and important goals), local organizations like Embrace Kids Foundation have a tangible effect on the community. Donations to RUDM are like investments back into the New Jersey community, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to this cause.”
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