By Tom Ackerman and Beau Bowman  |  [email protected] [email protected]

It can be a wild, exhausting ride. But it’s all worth it because of the motto: For the Kids.

Dance Marathon is a group of dedicated individuals that will stop at nothing to make sure the kids have the best 24 hours of their lives — and most of them did.

Jordan Canzeri, a running back for the Hawkeye football team, was there and said the kids inspired him.

“It’s a really humbling experience,” he said. “Watching these kids fight so hard, and watching all these kids graduate is amazing and great thing to be a part of.”

The event included several games and activities, in addition to hearing families share personal stories throughout the night.

Dancers also received a surprise visit from Chris Soules, a star from the ABC reality show “The Bachelor.” But by far the most important people at Dance Marathon 22 were the kids. The kids are what it’s all about.

“I’m pretty proud of myself and everyone who made it through it,” UI freshman Sara Bultsma said.

Bultsma had leukemia at the age of 7.

“Seeing those families on stage all the time kind of just put everything into perspective for me,” she said. “I might be really selfish standing there and saying that my feet hurt, but at the end of it, I’m going to have my own bed to come back to.”

The fundraiser raised $2.4 million for cancer research and to supporting local families who children are going through treatment.

Throughout the event, several events were held to occupy participants, including gaming rooms, karaoke, live performances from several musical groups, and a dance every hour with the morale captains, who took the stage.

Bultsma said her favorite part was seeing her group’s family. Seeing the young girl from her group happy despite facing a horrible disease, Bultsma said, was motivational to stay awake and motivated for the night.

“I went into it thinking it would be a little more boring,” she said. “I didn’t know what I would be doing for 24 hours. I also didn’t expect to hear so many personal stories. I kind of thought once we went there, our mission would be a little subtracted from because everyone is so tired, but they kept us so driven.”

Volunteer Justin Le enjoyed his experience seeing the kiddos.

“It’s an awesome experience to see so many kids so happy. It’s amazing. I can’t put it any other way,” he said.

The kids all look up to the dancers who are usually much older than them. Some kids even call them their heroes.

Throughout the night, dancers and families joked and laughed with one another despite a very serious cause in order to find a way and prevail over cancer.

“Those kids deserve to feel like celebrities,” Bultsma said. “They deserve that times a million.”

Rundown of the Big Event: 7 p.m. Opening Ceremonies begin

Participants hit the IMU Main Lounge floor with high energy. DJs had no problem getting ceremonies on the money raised started.

9 p.m. Man Pageant with special guest Miss Iowa

“It’s something different,” Allison Ebert, a first-time dancer, said. “I was pretty nervous because people hyped it up so much, but there’s so much do to do here.”

11:30 p.m. Andhi dancers

UI students took the stage to perform Indian dances, which has been done in recent years, when the group formed in 2009. Iowa Andhi means “Iowa Storm” in Hindi.

12:15 a.m. Hawkeye Drumline

Marching Hawkeyes kept the ceremonies awake as morning hours rolled into play. The drummers also played for those participating in karaoke and other games in the Hawkeye Room on the ground floor.

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1 a.m. Street Corner Symphony Performance

The nationally recognized group from Nashville performed a number of songs for the Iowa crowd, such as “Down on the Corner,” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The group became known to UI students after students in UI a cappella opened for the group in Dubuque.

3 a.m. Dancer Talent Show

Students worked to keep the dancers moving with a talent show for participants.

5 a.m. Interactive Dancing Hour

Jazzercise lifted spirits in the wee hours.

“It was really good exercise,” UI student Chris Hanke said. “I was really tired before, but it was a great wake-up call.”

Jazzercise helped keep some dancers focused on the main goal of the event.

“I was kind of down in the dumps before, but this really rejuvenated me,” Jesse McConnell said.

6 a.m. Short Hair Don’t Care

This is an annual tradition in which students donate hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization. Several students shaved their heads for the cause.

UI student Sarah Staley got the idea to donate her hair after her friend told her about the positive benefits.

“My good friend told me that there is a little girl out there that needs the hair more than I do.”

7 a.m. Halfway Point

Dancers faced a surge of energy as coordinators reminded the crowd of the halfway mark.

Paige Shockey, a backstage coordinator and UI student, said everyone was really amped up.

“You give it your all,” she said. “You realize it’s almost over, and a lot of families come back.”

8:20 a.m. UI Sparklers

The group consisted of students and special needs students throughout the area who established a cheer routine. The performance was a début for the group and fitting as audience members were supportive of those with special needs.

“I think it made them feel so special,” said Paige Righton, a UI student who watched their performance. “That’s what they need, someone to believe in them. It’s something we don’t have to deal with — I think they picked the right place for their first show.”

9 a.m. Grandma Skip

A team of women from the Senior Center gathered to dance on stage, who got engaged with the crowd.

“We love supporting these wonderful students at this wonderful event,” said member Shelagh Hayreh. “It’s a great way for us 70-year-olds to stay in shape.”

Noon Kiddo Talent Show

Kids from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics put on a show to demonstrate a range in abilities.

Aubree Dunn who sang “22,” by Taylor Swift, said Dance Marathon has been unbelievable.

“Keep doing what you guys are doing,” Dunn said. “It’s an amazing experience.”

3 p.m. Forever Families Graduation

Seventeen kids “graduated” from cancer for being five years cancer-free. An event was held for the children on stage.

Dylan Schaap, one of those honored, is a sophomore in high school and enjoys playing video games.

“It’s been life-changing,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better experience from anyone.”

5 p.m. Power Hour

The night that turned to day was wild once again. A hot and packed room of the IMU held families, children, and UI dancers who participated in the event. Power Hour energized the event for the final minutes of the Big Event.

“This is by far the most impressive Power Hour I have ever seen,” Brit Vanneman, a UI student, said. “It’s incredible what they are going to be passing down to the next generation.”

6 p.m. Closing Ceremonies

The event closed with a record breaking total of $2.424 million in donations and an IMU full with of passionate event-goers.