When the numbers went up, the crowd went wild.

At the close of its annual 24-hour dance marathon, DanceBlue members revealed that the organization raised $2,000,190.20 for the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, the first time the annual total has exceeded $2 million.

The final total comes from all fundraising done since the conclusion of the 2019 dance marathon.

2020 is the 15th annual dance marathon from DanceBlue, which was started by Jennifer Mynear in memory of her son Jarrett.

Mynear took the stage in the last hour of the marathon to speak about hope.

“Because of every one of you and anybody out there who contributed and all of the alumni year after year after year, because of you, that dream of a cure for some forms is right down the street,” said Mynear. “It’s real.”

This year’s fundraising efforts bring the total amount raised by DanceBlue to $17,302,043.43. DanceBlue has exceeded its previous year’s fundraising every year since its beginning.

“It’s really rewarding to see an increase, but at the end of the day it’s not about an increase, it’s about the fact that we’re raising money. The total is a great part of it, but it’s not everything,” said Liz Nickell, the morale coordinator for DanceBlue. She said about 900 dancers participated in the marathon this year.

A senior, Nickell has participated in DanceBlue for the past four years and said that it has shaped her time at UK.

“I think it’s kind of like all good things must come to an end, so that better people can come in and continue to further the progress of this organization which I’m so excited for,” said Nickell. “It’s just bittersweet.”

Senior Rebika Khanal also said the conclusion of her time with DanceBlue is  emotional. As fundraising chair, Khanal tracks all the donations that come in to DanceBlue.

Like Nickell, Khanal said that raising more money than the previous year is less important than the cause.

“Obviously we want to grow and continue to grow every year, however I have to keep in mind that it’s not about the number that we show, it’s about why we raise the money,” said Khanal. “And that’s for the kids.”