On Oct. 19, Fordham Dance Marathon (FDM) held their second annual Mr. Fordham pageant in Fordham Prep’s Leonard Theatre. Created last year, the Mr. Fordham pageant raised $11,368 for the B+ Positive foundation, with the winner, Jonathan Eng, FCRH ’23, raising $4,296. As a result of last year’s success, FDM brought the event back, inviting students all over campus to apply for the chance of winning the coveted title. A handful of young men — well, one of them was a ram — donned their finest costumes, showed their talents and delivered tactful answers to the emcee’s poignant questions all in an enthusiastic attempt to win the title of Mr. Fordham.
To Nicole Rios, FCRH ’25, the event encapsulates what makes FDM such a special club on campus. Namely, their, “spirit, fun and cause.” As a chapter of the B+ Foundation, an organization founded by Joe McDonugh in memory of his son, Andrew, members of FDM spend their school year fundraising for cancer research, connecting with children diagnosed with cancer, known as B+ Heroes, and organizing exciting events such as Mr. Fordham.
During the pageant, each of the contestants demonstrated their talents. Kevin Hammill, FCRH ’25, displayed his speed-crocheting, making a cropped sweater so quickly that it felt as if the sweater just suddenly appeared. Gabriel Dy, FCRH ’27, sang “Here With Me” by David Burke, making the audience swoon. Zane Gavazzi, GSB ’25, performed animal impressions, all in his bear onesie. Greg Licciardi, FCRH ’24, followed in suit with Dy, crooning to the audience. Isaiah James, FCRH ’24, performed some unholy moves on his saxophone. Lastly, Ramses donned a tutu and performed a ballet routine ready for the stage of New York City Ballet.
Two of the judges, Jason Gao, GSB ’26, and James Reynolds, GSB ’26, expressed their desire to see something “true and beautiful” during the evening’s performances. Hopefully, the contestants lived up to their expectations. With the mastery of animal noises that Gavazzi displayed, I’m sure they did.
Despite the dashing contestants, however, the emcees, Henry Tremblay, FCRH ’26, and Ishan Hinduja-Obregon, GSB ’26, stole everyone’s hearts. Their stories and performances of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” had the entirety of the Leonard Theatre singing alongside them.
At the end of the event, the contestants each walked around with a QR code, which audience members used to donate money to their personal FDM fundraising pages. Each dollar that an audience member donated to a candidate equaled one vote for them as Mr. Fordham. Hammill won, taking home the crown and earning himself the title of Mr. Fordham.
“Ever since I was born,” said Hammill, “the first words out of my mouth were ‘Mr.’ and ‘Fordham.’ Believe it or not, it’s true.” Jokes aside, Hammill said he really enjoyed taking part in the fundraiser. “It’s fun to dance around on stage and raise money for a really good cause, so I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
All of the money raised from the event goes towards the B+ Foundation, which raises money throughout the United States to support the families of children diagnosed with childhood cancer. Colleges and high schools across the nation have chapters dedicated to fundraising, and FDM is Fordham’s very own chapter. They spend the year planning events, tabling and meeting with B+ heroes, to inspire hope. Their hard work culminates in the annual dance marathon, which takes place in the spring semester, and where they reveal just how much money they’ve raised. Last year, they raised their highest total ever, $133,241.
“Going to club meetings and club events can be taxing at times, but at FDM there’s a constant reminder of the ‘why’ we’re doing what we’re doing. The B+ heroes that we meet and make an impact on truly make the meetings worthwhile, despite having midterms or finals or any other exam,” said Rios.
Luna is one of the B+ Positive heroes, a child struggling with cancer who benefits directly from FDM’s fundraising efforts. In the middle of the event, the emcees paused while Mikyla Fidel, FCRH ’25, introduced Luna. These heroes remind FDM who they’re fundraising for, and meeting Luna (even through her picture) reminded the audience that while the event was fun, it was for a larger cause.
