On Saturday, March 29, students, faculty, staff and community members will come together in Jake Nevin Field House under a common goal: fighting childhood cancer.
This 12-hour dance marathon, known as NOVAdance, is one of Villanova’s largest fundraising events and a highly anticipated day for many. Fundraising takes place year-round, but the main event kicks off at 10 a.m. when students start dancing and raising money. To keep morale up, each hour of the marathon has a different theme.
At 4 p.m., “Power Hour” starts, which is an hour-long fundraising competition between student organizations on campus, including fraternities, sororities, service organizations and more. In past years, the organizations each send a student representative, also known as “team captain” on stage to dance, answer questions, do dares and more. This year, the students will participate in a Family Feud style game, answering Villanova-related trivia. Additionally, “Power Hour” will be combined with “Country Hour,” bringing a new and exciting twist for country music fans.
“This is an awesome hour because it is really interactive for the audience members,” Villanova senior Ryenn Engles said. “It was so funny to see certain organizations hit their goal right away because of Venmos from the people involved in their organizations. It’s always fun to see the audience get involved, as well, and everyone really rallied together for their Team Captain.”
Beyond just the excitement, this segment also plays a key role in strengthening the connection between NOVAdance and the wider Villanova community.
“I think that this hour is really special because it helps to bridge the gap between NOVAdance and other on-campus organizations,” Engles said. “People involved in sororities and club sports have been hearing about NOVAdance all year from their organizations team captains, but they may have been overwhelmed by the messages, or confused on how to really get involved. This hour can help with that because students can come watch their team captains on stage and support them, and this allows them to immerse themselves in the dance marathon as a whole.”
Jack Pane, a NOVAdance volunteer who is helping organize “Power Hour,” agreed.
“With members from different clubs and organizations all coming together for the same great cause, the dance marathon is great for strengthening the bond of the Villanova community as a whole,” he said.
While “Power Hour” features volunteers from a wide range of student organizations, Greek Life plays a particularly influential role throughout the year.
“Historically, [Greek organizations] raise around one-third of our final fundraising number, which is absolutely incredible,” Pane said.
Junior Committee member Annie Carr agreed, emphasizing B+ founder Joe McDonough’s role in recruiting volunteers.
“Joe McDonough always does a new member talk to introduce the B+ Foundation to first year students in Greek life, so that they are familiar with what NOAVdance does,” Carr said. “This really rallies the new members to get involved through their organization.”
Additionally, many of the Greek organizations on campus are paired with a B+ Hero, whom they form relationships with and celebrate all year.
“On the day of [NOVAdance], all their work comes together, and they are able to spend the day with their B+ Hero and really just hang out with them and make the day as awesome for them as it can be,” Engles said. “They really do such an amazing job with their heroes, and make them a part of their sisterhood [or] brotherhood. It is super cool to see.”
By the time the final total amount raised is revealed at the end of the night, the efforts of countless students, faculty and supporters will have contributed to a mission that extends far beyond campus. For many, NOVAdance is more than just a one-day event. It is a year-round effort dedicated to supporting B+ Heroes, raising awareness and making a tangible difference in the fight against childhood canc
