Villanova’s organizations will always ride for their heroes. NOVAdance offers many wonderful opportunities for both Villanova students and B+ Heroes, but one of the most meaningful results is ongoing year round and can last for many years: the strong bond heroes form with their Villanova organization.
Villanova has 17 B+ Heroes who are either currently battling or have battled cancer in the past. Each hero gets paired with an organization on campus, whether that is a sorority, fraternity or other organization, such as Blue Key. There are currently heroes or forever heroes, heroes who have sadly lost their battles with cancer. They are paired with 15 different organizations across campus. Each organization has Hero Liaisons, who act as a direct point of contact with the hero’s family in order to connect them more closely to the organization’s members.
“As a Hero Liaison, I have gotten the amazing and unique opportunity to interact with Chi Omega’s hero, Julia, and her mother and family firsthand,” junior Michelle Berke said. “My other hero liaisons and I interact with Julia and her mom weekly, chatting about Julia’s treatment and planning events they can come to. We also have done several Zooms with Julia to chat and catch up.”
Throughout the year, organizations plan events and activities with their B+ Hero, creating a lasting friendship.
“In the past, we’ve gone to [our hero’s] birthday parties off campus and thrown her parties on campus,” senior and Blue Key Hero Liaison AnNa Hughes said. “This weekend, we are going to a local farm and cow cuddling because Lilly’s favorite animals are cows.”
The relationships the heroes develop with their organizations give them a place to belong on campus, and a smaller, individual community to support them. The bonds formed with heroes also become extremely special to the organization’s members.
“Getting to know our hero Pascal and his family over the past year has been a really great experience,” sophomore and Beta Theta Pi Hero Liaison Kyle Sonders said. “To see someone who has been through so much approach every day with such a positive attitude has inspired me to be positive in my everyday life.”
Berke echoed this, describing her experience getting to know Julia personally.
“Chi Omega’s relationship with Julia has had such a profound impact on my life,” Berke said. “Through growing closer with her and her family I have been able to get to know Julia and her personality. Julia inspires all of us to look for the good in every day and to be our genuine selves. Her jokes never fail to make us laugh and inspire us to lean into our goofy side.”
The strong relationship created between a hero, their family and their Villanova community lasts for many years, even in sorrowful circumstance. Villanova has four forever heroes: Blair, Frankie, Jirbil and Tony, as well as the original B+ Hero and the namesake of the foundation, Andrew McDonough. Beloved B+ Hero Frankie, who is forever paired with Kappa Delta, passed away in April of 2024. Frankie was very close with many members of the sorority, and Kappa Delta remains connected to his family, just recently hosting a party called “Frankie’s Favorites” in his memory.
“Kappa Delta’s forever hero, Frankie, recently passed away,” sophomore and Kappa Delta Hero Liaison Ally McManus said. “By maintaining close connection with our hero’s family, we can keep his memory alive and support the family in various ways.”
The profound connection a hero forms with their on-campus organization is a lasting one, and brings joy both to their lives and the lives of the students they interact with.
“Supporting our hero has brought [our organization] closer as a group and reinforced our values of leadership, service and positivity,” Hughes said. “For our hero and her family, our relationship has provided a source of encouragement, joy and unwavering support. Knowing that they have a team cheering them on and standing beside them through their journey means everything. We strive to bring smiles, create special memories and remind them that they are never alone in this fight.”
These relationships between heroes and students is one of the most special parts of NOVAdance, giving heroes and their families a more personalized connection to Villanova and making them feel even more supported.
“It is important for the heroes to be connected directly to an organization because it helps further foster a sense of community and support for the families and heroes,” Berke said.
No matter the organization a hero is matched with, one thing is for sure: the hero and organization pairings create special friendships that endure the test of time. Whether one is directly involved with a hero or not, we can all do our part to make our B+ Heroes and their families feel supported, just like our Villanova organizations do. So get dancing, ‘Nova. We have heroes to support.
