The 12th-annual NOVAdance may have drawn to a close, but participants will carry their experiences far beyond the dance marathon.
NOVAdance held its day-of, 12-hour dance marathon on Saturday to celebrate the University’s B+ heroes and to announce the final fundraising total for the year. Students had the opportunity to get involved through multiple positions, including Sidekicks, Engagement Coordinators, Team Captains, Hero Liaisons, Morale Committee and as NOVAdance Committee members.
Jack Doolin is a senior who served as one of the 2025 co-Executive Directors for this year’s NOVAdance. Doolin served alongside senior Lanie Aries, and they set the ambitious goal of fundraising $700,000 for the B+ Foundation this year.
Together, Doolin and Aries led the NOVAdance committee to this goal.
“There was a big sense of relief to me [when they found out they reached the fundraising goal],” Doolin said. “I already knew that people had done incredible, beautiful work the whole year, but I wanted us all to know that, and feel assured of that and so, that was a big piece of that, a sigh of relief that we had done it.”
Tom DeWitt is also a senior who has served on NOVAdance committee for the past three years, after serving as a Sidekick his freshman year.
“Throughout this year’s NOVAdance dance marathon, and in reflecting on how NOVAdance has impacted me over the last 4 years, the message of “Be Positive” calls out to me, and it is something that I will carry with me,” DeWitt said.
The Engagement Coordinators (ECs) are a group of more than 100 sophomore, junior and senior students who planned fundraising events throughout the year. On the day of the dance marathon, ECs were responsible for working shifts in Jake Nevin, participating in fundraising challenges and welcoming NOVAdance participants and the B+ heroes.
“On the day of, there’s a moment that’s really ingrained into my mind,” junior Engagement Coordinator Maggie Dreifuerst said. “We formed tunnels for the heroes to run into Jake Nevin and I was at the start of the tunnel for a hero named James, and he was so excited, he could barely stand still and had the biggest smile on his face.”
Hero Liaisons also played a significant role on the day-of. These individuals served as representatives of their organizations and were paired with a B+ hero throughout the year. During the dance marathon, the Hero Liaisons welcomed their hero when they arrived at Jake Nevin, shared their stories with the Villanova community during Hero Hour and spent time with the hero and their family during the day.
“I was able to form a special connection with Christos and his family over the course of the year and then celebrate the amazing day alongside him,” Alpha Phi Omega Hero Liaison Dominica Delayo said. “Christos was at the Dance Marathon for over 10 hours and we played so many games and sports together, like basketball to spike ball to soccer.”
Sidekicks is the freshman only leadership opportunity associated with NOVAdance. Through this program, first year students are able to become highly involved with the organization and help raise money and awareness throughout their entire first year on campus.
Freshman nursing student Charlie Blajda was inspired to join NOVAdance after a sophomore friend on committee encouraged him to apply.
“[Angie Rodriguez] told me what [NOVAdance] was about and immediately I was hooked,” he said. “I love the idea of raising money for these kids that have so much going on and just need support.”
Sophomore Dylan Cahill was on the NOVAdance committee, working on the entertainment team. Cahill emphasized the importance of reflection and remembering that the day is for a cause bigger than themselves.
“Emotionally, it was hard,” Cahill said. “In between dancing, we would have to run around and co- ordinate performers. A lot of it was so stressful all of the day, and during the last hour, we could see all the little things that had gone wrong and all the little mistakes that happened, and those are easy to focus on because we wanted it to run so perfect. The last hour, our director had us go in the back and get on top of the stairs and just look out and see how much joy and happiness we brought people and everyone was so proud of themselves …we could finally see all our work pay off.”
What binds everyone involved with NOVAdance together is their love for the cause and the B+ Heroes.
“I got to talk to Correll,” Blajda said. “Hearing how passionate he is, he is a pre-medical student, a freshman in college now, and I think that is so cool that he is not letting anything define him, so really meeting the Hero I met, and seeing how he is still carries positivity with him in everyday life is just so amazing.”
Team Captains are a way to get both involved in NOVAdance and the organization they are representing. They work to relay information from NOVAdance to their respective organizations.
“It was a great way to get involved in both NOVAdance and my chapter,” senior Alpha Phi Team Captain Sidney Howell said. “As a senior, this was a really great way to stay connected.”
Sophomore Chi Omega Team Captain Riley Kalejta agreed.
“Being part of such an impactful initiative has made me realize that, although our efforts, like sending fundraising emails and creating social media posts, may seem small, it is these little actions that collectively contribute to meaningful change,” she said.
NOVAdance cannot occur without all the different positions and many individuals who spread awareness throughout the year. The day-of serves as a celebration of these efforts.
“A huge thank you to the Committee, ECs, Sidekicks, Team Captains, Hero Liaisons and everyone that came,” Doolin said. “We wouldn’t have gotten to seven without all of Villanova…whatever people did to make it happen, it was an incredible gift that they gave to the kids.”
