For the first time ever, Fordham’s Residence Hall Association (RHA) held a dance marathon this past Friday to raise money for the B+ Foundation, a foundation dedicated to improve the lives of children with cancer. Fordham students gathered to ballroom dance, river dance and breakdance for a good cause.
The B+ Foundation was created after athlete Andrew McDonough tragically passed away at age 14 due to complications from leukemia. Andrew’s blood type and the family’s motto was and continues to be “B+, Be Positive.” The foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in research grants within the past two years to research institutions like St. Jude, Dana-Farber and Seattle Children’s Hospital. B+ Foundation’s mission is to provide financial assistance to families around the country with critically ill children who are battling cancer.
“Raising money for pediatric cancer is such a great cause, and I’m glad Fordham decided to support this. My favorite part was seeing everyone come together and the dance performances to support a good cause,” said Catherine Oliver, FCRH ’17.
The heartwarming mission of the B+ Foundation is what inspired RHA to sponsor a dance marathon in support of it. The event took place on Friday, Feb. 7 from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. in O’Keefe Commons. Students were required to pay $10 in admission, unless they had fundraised $50 before the event. If students raised $100, they were eligible to receive a free T-shirt worth $10. Students raised money through the B+ Foundation’s website, where they could create their own teams to “compete” against others. Each residence hall, as well as other Fordham organizations, had its own team on the webpage. The purpose of the webpage was to get as many students involved as possible and spread the word about B+’s mission.
“Seeing commuters, residents, and staff all together dancing in one room raising money for this great cause was truly a beautiful thing,” said Timothy Bouffard, FCRH ’16 and RHA president of Finlay Hall. “My hope is that FDM becomes an annual event that students will look forward to every year.”
The event was definitely a success. Many Fordham students came to show their support and dance the night away. DJs included Pat McCarren, Dan Snyder and Andrew Kang. Many students enjoyed dancing for a good cause. Student performance groups included TOP, Expressions Dance Alliance, Ballroom Dance, Zumba, Flava, Irish Dance and Keating Steps.
“The FDM was a great experience. The dancers of Flava and Slainte [Irish Dance] were great performers and helpful teachers. The Keating Steps absolutely rocked their set,” said Ferdinand Suba, Jr., GSB ’17.
“It was a blast dancing to our favorite songs, old and new, and I loved seeing the Keating Steps perform,” said Margaret Sullivan, FCRH ’17.
The night was a success not only because of the great turnout but because of the immense support received from outside of the Fordham Community. The goal of the project was to raise $15,000 for pediatric cancer. The total figure amounted to $30,059.18, more than double the original goal, an incredible feat.
“When we initially set the goal at $15,000 I thought we would never reach that as a first year event, so the fact that we literally doubled that number completely blew my mind,” said Loretta Malloy, RHA Communications Director. “Raising all this money for the B+ foundation really was a campus wide effort, and I’m hopeful that FDM will become a ‘staple’ RHA event and yearly tradition.”
“Knowing that a family with a child suffering from cancer can breathe easier because of our efforts, and being able to meet one of the B+ Foundation’s heroes makes the efforts put forth all the more worth it and all the more necessary,” said Nicholas Sawicki, FCRH ’16 and RHA president of Tierney Hall.
For those who arrived early to the event around 3 p.m., they were able to meet and spend time with Mario, the “hero” or child who Fordham sponsored. They took pictures with him, in addition to playing tag and other games.
“Mario was diagnosed with a tumor that, when it was taken out, left him partially blind,” said Taylor Eagan, FCRH ’16 and technology committee member. “But you wouldn’t know it seeing him run around, winning at duck, duck, goose against 60 college kids. In the end, the night was just about him having fun and forgetting cancer while simultaneously helping to face that cancer and its effects.”
The dance marathon truly exemplified the Fordham spirit and how supportive the Ram community really is. The enormous amount of effort and motivation that went into this event showed just how much Fordham cares.
“It’s these events that help us grow in our understanding of others, in compassion, in mercy, and in becoming ‘Men and Women for Others,’ ” said Nicholas Sawicki, FCRH ’16 and RHA president of Tierney Hall.
In its first endeavor at hosting a dance marathon to benefit a charity, the Fordham community showed that enthusiasm paired with hard work has the potential to make a huge impact in the lives of others, like for those who benefit from the B+ Foundation.
The B+ Foundation inspired RHA to hold a dance marathon in support of its cause. The event took place on Friday, Feb. 7 from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. in O’Keefe Commons. Students were required to pay $10 in admission, unless they had fundraised $50 before the event. If students raised $100, they were eligible to receive a free T-shirt worth $10. Students raised money through the B+ Foundation’s website, where they could create their own teams to “compete” against others. Each residence hall, as well as other Fordham organizations, had its own team on the webpage. The purpose of the webpage was to get as many students involved as possible and spread the word about B+’s mission.
“Seeing commuters, residents and staff all together dancing in one room raising money for this great cause was truly a beautiful thing,” said Timothy Bouffard, FCRH ’16 and RHA president of Finlay Hall. “My hope is that FDM becomes an annual event that students will look forward to every year.”
The event was definitely a success. Many Fordham students came to show their support and dance the night away. DJs included Pat McCarren, Dan Snyder and Andrew Kang. Many students enjoyed dancing for a good cause. Student performance groups included TOP, Expressions Dance Alliance, Ballroom Dance, Zumba, Flava, Irish Dance and The Keating Steps.
“The FDM was a great experience. The dancers of Flava and Slainte [Irish Dance] were great performers and helpful teachers. The Keating Steps absolutely rocked their set,” said Ferdinand Suba, Jr., GSB ’17.
“It was a blast dancing to our favorite songs, old and new, and I loved seeing the Keating Steps perform,” said Margaret Sullivan, FCRH ’17.
The night was a success not only because of the great turnout but because of the immense support received from outside of the Fordham Community. The goal of the project was to raise $15,000 for pediatric cancer. The total figure amounted to $30,059.18, more than double the original goal.
“When we initially set the goal at $15,000 I thought we would never reach that as a first year event, so the fact that we literally doubled that number completely blew my mind,” said Loretta Malloy, RHA Communications Director. “Raising all this money for the B+ foundation really was a campus-wide effort, and I’m hopeful that FDM will become a ‘staple’ RHA event and yearly tradition.”
“Knowing that a family with a child suffering from cancer can breathe easier because of our efforts, and being able to meet one of the B+ Foundation’s heroes makes the efforts put forth all the more worth it and all the more necessary,” said Nicholas Sawicki, FCRH ’16, and RHA president of Tierney Hall.
For those who arrived early to the event, around 3 p.m., they were able to meet and spend time with the “hero,” Mario, who Fordham sponsored. They took pictures with him, in addition to playing tag and other games.
“Mario was diagnosed with a tumor that, when it was taken out, left him partially blind,” said Taylor Eagan, FCRH ’16, and technology committee member. “But you wouldn’t know it seeing him run around, winning at duck, duck, goose against 60 college kids. In the end, the night was just about him having fun and forgetting cancer while simultaneously helping to face that cancer and its effects.”
The dance marathon truly exemplified the Fordham spirit and how supportive the Fordham community really is. The enormous amount of effort and motivation that went into this event showed just how much Fordham cares.
“It’s these events that help us grow in our understanding of others, in compassion, in mercy, and in becoming ‘Men and Women for Others,’ ” said Sawicki.
In its first endeavor at hosting a dance marathon to benefit a charity, the Fordham community showed that enthusiasm paired with hard work has the potential to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others, like for those who benefit from the B+ Foundation.
IsabellaLiPuma
The dance event raised $30,000 for the B+ Foundation, which awards grants to help families affected by childhood cancer.
