About DHDM

In 2015, Jeremy Fratoni ‘16 brought the idea of a dance marathon to Cardinal O’Hara High School. Jeremy wanted to help those in need, get the school involved, and have fun while doing it. Soon, Cardinal O’Hara’s dance marathon was in place. Since our first dance marathon in 2015, we have continued to fundraise, dance, and come together as a school community for many causes. What makes our dance marathon stand out amongst others is our name: Danny Hammond Dance Marathon.

Danny Hammond was a student at Cardinal O’Hara and was a member of the class of 2010. He was just like everyone else. He loved Sea Isle City, Marvel Comics, sports, his friends, and going to school. Danny was only nine years old when he was first diagnosed with cancer. He repeatedly beat his cancer, but it returned three times - including in his brain, which left him with little vision. His cancer came back for the third and final time when he was twenty years old in 2012. He passed away February 20, 2014. During Danny’s battle, he remembered what was most important to him: helping others. Danny reached out to those in need through Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Penn State’s THON, and CHOP. Danny also helped others by just being himself. He was a charismatic and funny boy. People just loved talking to him. Danny said, “Throughout all this the most important lessons I've learned is humor, living life to its fullest and to help others along the way.”

This is what Danny Hammond Dance Marathon does. We continue to spread Danny’s message of happiness and compassion for others. Since the beginning of DHDM in 2015, we have been able to support many charities. This year, DHDM is supporting Catholic Charities Appeal, Catholic Relief Services, Headstrong, Bringing Hope Home, Alex's Lemonade Stand & National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Our fundraising efforts are collected in one fund throughout the year and disbursed to the groups mentioned above.

Our goal is to continue bringing Danny’s vision of helping others alive to a higher capacity. Every person who is involved can and will make a difference to someone who truly needs it. Danny said, “There's always someone fighting sometimes even a bigger battle than you.”