Diners at the Noble Family Dining Hall were treated to the song "MMMBop" by popular 1990s boy band Hanson during lunch hours Feb. 11 - all of the lunch hours.
Junior Annie Kennedy, morale committee chair for Dance Marathon, was the driving force behind the Marathon's new fundraising event, "Stop the Bop."
"We're playing Hanson's song 'MMMBop' on repeat until we meet our fundraising goal," Kennedy said. "The premise of the fundraiser is that people will get so annoyed with the song that they will be willing to donate in order to turn off the song."
Senior Bridgid Hurley, morale committee member for the marathon, also worked toward the implementation of "Stop the Bop."
"Between this past 'Stop the Bop' and the next one, which is scheduled for the Monday before the marathon [which is schedule for March 23], we hope to collectively raise $500," Hurley said. "Once we reach $500, the song will stop playing on repeat."
Kennedy said the Dance Marathon organizers wanted to try something new to garner the attention of the Saint Mary's community members who had yet to donate to Dance Marathon. The first "Stop the Bop" kicked off Dance Marathon's Riley Week, and Hurley said its proceeds will go toward Riley Hospital for Children.
The event also contributes to the Dance Marathon's Zero Zeroes effort, she said.
"Zero Zeroes is a campaign to encourage all dancers to donate money so that no person at the marathon will have zero donations next to their name," Hurley said. "'Stop the Bop' accepts any and all donations, so it really helps Zero Zeroes since people can donate loose change."
Kennedy hopes "Stop the Bop" brought more attention to Dance Marathon for students who were unsure of what the event is all about.
"It is something different from what we've done in the past, so hopefully it will not only help Dance Marathon as an organization, but will prompt girls at [Saint Mary's] to get more involved in [the marathon]," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said the community definitely heard the message the Dance Marathon organizers were trying to convey by playing "MMMBop" on repeat.
"People were tweeting and putting up Facebook posts about 'Stop the Bop' during the event, and even now some people still talk about it," Kennedy said. "Students were commenting that it was annoying, and that was the point."
Hurley said diners were confused when they first entered the hall for lunch, but the confusion resulted in many questions regarding the marathon. She and other Dance Marathon members approached tables of girls to spread awareness, but Hurley said students sought out the organizers as well.
"There were girls who were coming up to our table to learn about Dance Marathon and Riley Hospital, to ask what 'Stop the Bop' was and to help us with our goal," she said. "The fact that it got so much attention was a great thing for Dance Marathon because we were able to spread awareness."
As Dance Marathon's main event draws nearer, Kennedy, Hurley and the other committee members are looking forward to more people wanting to get involved in any way they can.
"Ultimately we hope to raise awareness and get people excited about the marathon," Hurley said. "'Stop the Bop' is a fun and creative way to raise awareness and raise money."
