For years, students at the University of Mississippi have danced the night away while raising money during RebelTHON, which benefits the state’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Children’s of Mississippi.
This year, two members of the Tau Chapter of Chi Omega at the University of Mississippi served on the executive board for the 15th annual dance marathon, connecting one of the university’s oldest Greek organizations to a long history of UM and Oxford support for the state’s only pediatric hospital. The pairing resulted in a record-breaking year.
RebelTHON’s goal was to raise $300,000 to fully fund 12 infusion bays within the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s. With the help of Chi Omega members Maddie Grace Lightsey of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Ella Rayburn of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, the goal was surpassed with a total of $305,211.38 being raised.
The Ole Miss RebelTHON team’s work was recently honored with the national Ryan White Award for Overcoming Adversity from Children’s Miracle Network. The 2026 RebelTHON’s resounding success came despite a disastrous winter ice storm that closed the Oxford campus for two weeks and interrupted communications.
A large part of the success is attributed to the Tau Chapter of Chi Omega, which fully funded two infusion bays and contributed to the overall total raised by the event.
“Chi Omega’s incredible $60,000 gift through RebelTHON has a profound impact on Children’s of Mississippi and the patients and families we serve. Their generosity helped fund two patient bays in our Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, ensuring children across Mississippi have access to exceptional care close to home,” said Madison Stephens, an annual gifts officer with the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
“We are deeply grateful for Chi Omega’s continued commitment to making a lasting difference for Mississippi’s children,” she said.
Children’s of Mississippi is not only RebelTHON’s philanthropy but also the Ole Miss Chi Omega Chapter’s local philanthropy.
“RebelTHON has been so impactful on Maddie Grace’s and my college experiences and was truly one of our favorite things to have done during our time at Ole Miss,” said Rayburn, a senior general business major.
“It was such a rewarding experience, and meeting this goal was truly a cumulation of 365 days of work,” she continued. “It was so special to get to connect with so many families who are treated at the hospital and who give us a true purpose for the work we’re doing.”
Chi Omega’s Tau Chapter began supporting Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children — which is part of the Children’s of Mississippi pediatric arm of the University of Mississippi Medical Center — in the fall of 2015, in honor of member Alison Turbeville of Jackson, Mississippi, who tragically passed away at the age of 19.
“The Tau Chapter, along with many other Chi Omega chapters, shares a deep-rooted dedication to helping children,” said Myers Foxworth of Columbia, Mississippi, Chi Omega president. “I am incredibly proud of the amount Chi Omega has raised for Children’s and what it represents.
“I have been especially inspired by the commitment of our members, including Maddie Grace and Ella. It is their willingness to serve and work toward our shared goals that drives me and reinforces how much can be accomplished when everyone contributes in their own way.”
Lightsey, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in applied sciences, said being part of RebelTHON helped her realize she wants to be a nurse.
“Being involved and connected to Children’s showed me the impact health care workers have on the children there and their families,” Lightsey said. “I’ve seen how nurses not only take care of patients physically but also support them and their families emotionally. That really stuck with me and made me want to be that person for someone else one day.”
To learn more about supporting Children’s of Mississippi, visit https://umc.edu/.
To learn more about RebelTHON, visit https://www.rebelthon.com.
By Mary Stanton Knight/UM Development