After 2-year break, University of Delaware dance marathon is back helping those fighting childhood cancer

After a two-year hiatus, UDance returned to the University of Delaware with a 12-hour dance marathon Sunday.

Now in its 16th year, the event took place at The Bob Carpenter Center.

It included a haircut donation station; entertainment; a talent show; raffle prizes; a Rave Hour; and the chance to meet children with cancer, affectionately known as B+ Heroes.

Lily Plocharz, a B+ Hero, has been participating in the UDance program since she was 6. The 15-year-old is now cancer-free, but she continues to work with Gamma Phi Beta.

"It's very nice to see all this happen and see all these college students raise money for kids who go through this kind of stuff because it's hard for them. It's just nice to see it," said Plocharz.

The money raised by UDance benefits the Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation, a Wilmington-based organization founded in honor of Andrew McDonough. McDonough lost his fight with leukemia at 14 in 2007.

The foundation funds research and provides financial support to families across the country who have children with cancer.

The marathon on Sunday night raised $168,318, bringing the fundraising total for UDance 2022 to $1,814,429.68.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Udance is back helping families fighting childhood cancer