Every year, Villanovans finish a year of fundraising and service with a weekend-long dance marathon to fight against childhood cancer. The annual NOVAdance will take place this weekend on Saturday, March 29 and consists of a 12-hour dance marathon to support the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.
Through fundraising efforts and the dance marathon, Villanovans and contributors strive to instill hope in the lives of those affected by childhood cancer. As one of the largest philanthropic organizations on Villanova’s campus, the organization provides more than $600,000 in aid yearly to the B+ Foundation. The organization strives not only to provide financial aid, but also emotional support, hope, and friendship to the families and children that they partner with.
Fundraising and community outreach are integral parts of the NOVAdance marathon that take place throughout the school year leading up to the event. NOVAdance provides various ways for companies, students and alumni to provide donations and receive sponsorships.
Companies or representatives who provide a donation may have the opportunity to be represented at the dance marathon and gain the unique opportunity to connect with Villanova students, families, and the Main Line community through the meaningful cause.
The Villanovan spoke with members of NOVAdance’s Hospitality Team and the Community and Alumni Relations Team to spread awareness of their fundraising efforts throughout the year.
Members of both teams discussed the year-long fundraising events that took place to work up to this weekend’s dance marathon. Senior student and member of the Community Relations Team Thomas Dewitt spoke about some of their fundraising events and purpose of fundraising.
“We organized events throughout the year that brought together Villanova students, alumni and community members in support of NOVAdance,” Dewitt said.
Dewitt and other members of the Community Relations Team spoke about their favorite fundraising events.
“These included a fall pickleball tournament, a spring basketball tournament, two ‘Grog Nights’ at The Grog Grill, a bracelet-making workshop and more,” Dewitt said.
The team also spoke about their efforts to reach Villanova alumni and increase alumni engagement with NOVAdance.
“This year, one area of focus was working to increase alumni engagement with NOVAdance,” another team representative, Jugat Singh, said. “We created the NOVAdance alumni group as a way to offer Villanova alumni the opportunity to remain connected with NOVAdance.”
The Community and Alumni Relations Team also spoke about their creation of the NOVAdance Alumni Advisory Board. This new effort paired interested alumni with subcommittees within the NOVAdance Committee.
Two other members of the team, Lauren Markarian and Emma Cote, discussed the goals of their new initiatives with alumni engagement.
“Our goal was that these student-alumni pairings would lead to opportunities for the sharing of ideas and wisdom, and also serve to deepen alumni engagement and provide mentorship opportunities,” Markarian said.
Representatives from the Community and Alumni Relations Team expressed their excitement and joyous anticipation for the dance marathon this weekend.
Members of the Hospitality Team, Maddy Murray and Olivia Winchenbaugh, echoed these sentiments of excitement about fundraising efforts.
Junior Olivia Winchenbaugh discussed the team’s efforts in partnering with outside organizations to fundraise towards the mission.
“Being a part of NOVAdance means you support the families of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation and any family that is going through these difficult times,” Winchenbaugh said.
She noted that fundraising may not just go towards families’ medical bills or cancer-related support, but also toward electrical bills or car payments. The fundraising for families is to take a load off their stressful time, and aid them in whatever way possible.
“It has been super rewarding to share the message and purpose of NOVAdance with places like Blue Mercury, Goodness Bowls and so many more,” Winchenbaugh said. “It has also been amazing to have people reach out with personal connections want to give so much to this incredible organization. At the end of the day, what brings people together more than food?”
Murray also discussed the role of hospitality in connecting to the larger community. She discussed the organization’s fundraising events throughout the year, where they organized dine-out events in collaboration with small businesses and corporate partners to raise funds.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with businesses eagerly contributing to support this meaningful cause,” Murray said.
She expressed gratitude for the entirety of leadership.
“I’ve witnessed every committee member give their all, fueled by the leadership of Laine, Jack and our incredible directors,” Murray said. “The energy and enthusiasm are at an all-time high as we gear up for the marathon, pushing ourselves to raise as much as possible.”
She also addressed the last part of their mantra.
“And above all, we are scrappy,” she said. “We’ve spent the year brainstorming creative ways to maximize donations, whether it’s posting on Facebook and LinkedIn or reaching out to former coaches, bosses and teachers. Every effort counts, and we’re leaving no stone unturned.”
Fundraising efforts are not over until the end of the 12-hour marathon on March 29. There is still time to donate and contribute to beating childhood cancer.
