Belmont Hill Hosts Another Inspiring Party with a Purpose

On Saturday, Belmont Hill School once again hosted its Miracle Network Dance Marathon, “Party with a Purpose (PWAP),” to benefit Boston Children’s Hospital. Across the nation, many dance marathons are hosted annually to benefit the 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Belmont Hill is among the participating schools and colleges in New England that have taken on this fundraising effort for Boston Children’s Hospital. This year’s event raised approximately $17,000 and overall the School’s PWAP team has raised $38,000 this year. 

This year's PWAP leadership team--Dietrich Jacobs ’22 and Daniel Drucker ’23, Quinn Healey ’23, and Leo Montoya ’23—worked steadily all year to rebuild the PWAP brand after the challenges of the pandemic, in partnership with teams at Dana Hall, Newton Country Day School, Rivers, and Winsor. Throughout the process, the team drew on the expertise and guidance of past PWAP leaders Thomas Ryan, Colin Vallis, Luca Pontone (all class of 2019), and our legendary Donna David. The last time Belmont Hill was able to host a live PWAP celebration was in 2019, and the team used that event as the template for this year. 

Ultimately, over 800 guests attended PWAP 2022, including four VIP guests from Boston Children's Hospital who were celebrated with a memorable "red carpet ceremony." That moment was a true highlight of the evening, with hundreds of PWAP attendees lining the red carpet and illuminating the darkened gym with their cell phone lights to create a wonderful star-filled space--a fitting complement to the evening's theme of "wishing on a star."

The PWAP team is incredibly grateful to all the faculty, staff, and parent volunteers who came together to make the event happen, particularly Stephen George. “We are already beginning to think about next year,” says Mr. George, “building on the success of the 2022 event with the intent of re-establishing PWAP as both a joyful annual celebration and an opportunity for Belmont Hill and our partner schools to provide substantial support patients and families at Boston Children's Hospital.”