On Friday night, as most campus parties were dying down, Sellinger Lounge was just getting started.
Georgetown students danced, rocked, boogied and grooved for 24 hours starting at 6 p.m. Friday at the sixth annual Hoyathon, a dance marathon to raise money for children in the D.C. area suffering from serious diseases.
Katie Woliver (COL ’06), Hoyathon’s hospitality chair, said the event raised roughly $39,000, shattering last year’s total of around $34,000. The total included non-monetary donations to Hoyathon, such as food for the dancers, a projector and prizes for the participants that Woliver helped collect.
Woliver said about $19,500 of the money raised would go to help children at both Children’s National Medical Center and the pediatrics department at Georgetown University Hospital.
Jill Corcuera (NHS ’06), chair of the Hoyathon Board, said that sponsorship and donations from student organizations, including the Senior Class Committee, GU Right to Life, the Corp and GUSA, as well as local businesses and THE HOYA, contributed to the fundraising total.
Throughout the event, Sellinger was flooded with pink, green and blue shirts as board members and events staff mingled with the indefatigable crew of dancers.
Woliver said that this year’s Hoyathon had the most participants ever, with 64 dancers and 100-150 staffers working four-hour shifts.
“The dancers were amazingly enthusiastic this year,” she said. “There was more energy here than I’ve ever seen.”
That energy was still running strong just after 1 a.m. on Saturday morning as dancers pushed on, determined to stay in for the full 24 hours.
Dancer Sophia Carodenuto (SFS ’09) said that she was still upbeat and enjoying the event after 7 hours and 10 minutes of dancing, a spirit she attributed to the atmosphere of Hoyathon.
“I love a challenge,” she said. “When there’s good music, I can dance forever.”
Katie Kennedy (COL ’07), the entertainment chair for Hoyathon, said that creative music – ranging from techno to movie soundtracks – and live entertainment helped keep dancers awake and energetic.
“It keeps the night fresh and the dancers excited,” she said.
Hoyathon participants were treated to performances from some of Georgetown’s most prominent entertainment groups, including the a capella groups Georgetown Chimes and the Georgetown Phantoms, along with the Hoya Dance Team.
But most participants agreed that the children benefiting from the fundraiser provided the greatest incentive to dancers. A visit from several of them on Saturday morning was especially motivational, Woliver said.
Joey Lora, a 7-year-old who has received multiple brain surgeries and lost 60 percent of his brain mass, made his fourth appearance at Hoyathon and sang “Baby Got Back.” Joey has been termed the “poster child” for Hoyathon by the board for his illustration of the power of the event to save lives.
The event also featured appearances from University President John J. DeGioia, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Daniel Porterfield, vice president for public affairs and strategic development.
As the end of the event drew near, Carodenuto said she was glad she had committed to the event.
“Sometimes, at 8 or 9 in the morning I was like, `What am I doing?’ but in the long run it was worth it,” she said.
