Three dancers and three Hero kids knelt in front of a table on the stage, face-deep in chocolate pudding-covered gummy worms.

An hour into the penultimate block, the participants dove into an eating contest. And in just a couple minutes, TJ, a boy who is one of the DM heroes, licked his plate clean, leaving his competition in the dust.

“The kid actually annihilated all of us,” said McCormick freshman Bobby Luo, who was in the eating contest.

Gradually, an energetic vibe made its way back to the floor, as dancers grooved to a few nostalgic oldies, such as “Low” by Flo Rida and “What Dreams Are Made Of” from “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.” Some old tunes, such as “Cotton Eye Joe,” had a portion of the crowd going through the dance.

Michael, a Hero Program father, spoke midway through Block 9 on Starlight’s impact on his daughter, Ella Joy, who was diagnosed with cancer. As he shared their story, Ella Joy whispered into a microphone, “Hi everybody,” sparking fawning reactions from the dancers.

“When you’re the parent, you got to be tough,” Michael said. “(Starlight) just really helps our children have a normal life.”

Meanwhile, Ella Joy plugged her nose and waved her hand at the stench of the tent after more than 24 hours.

Other appearances included Aamir Paul, senior vice president of Schneider Electric, as well as another celebrity video from alumnus Jerry Springer (School of Law ’68). Springer busted out a few dance moves in honor of those in the tent.

The Finance Committee then announced that $663,848 were raised by Feb. 25, the full money fundraising deadline.

“I think that it’s been really eye-opening experience as to what DM does,” Luo said. “As an organization, just seeing all the speakers actually come in and seeing, basically seeing what DM does for people through first-person perspective.”

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