Dance floor magic pushes CHOP fundraiser past $10K

It started with a beat, a goal, and a studio full of dancers determined to make a difference. It ended with something much bigger.

What the Jane Lopoten School of Dance pulled off during its 4th Annual Dance-a-thon for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was nothing short of remarkable: more than $10,000 raised in just three hours — a burst of generosity and community spirit that stunned even the woman who started it all.

By the time the final steps of the After Party Parade carried dancers down Main Street, pledges were still rolling in. On Nov. 6, founder Jane Lopoten confirmed what she had suspected: the final checks had arrived.

“I’m pretty sure I received the last check yesterday that I was waiting for, and it was for $500,” Lopoten said earlier this month.

But the momentum did not stop there. Donations continued into the week, ending on Friday, Nov. 7, and Lopoten shared another update as the total climbed toward an unexpected milestone.

“We are at $9,693.00. I’m expecting another $100 donation. Hopefully, my husband and I will fill in whatever it takes to get it to $10,000,” she said last week.

Finally, last-minute donations tallied up pushed the money raised to $10,545.

"For just a 3-hour event. Unreal!” Lopoten said.

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

A mission that grew beyond its goal

The original target for the Oct. 12 Dance-a-thon was ambitious: $5,000 for CHOP’s Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Program and its Integrative Health Oncology Program — departments that give children tools to cope, find joy, and heal through creativity.

The studio doubled it.

That surge came from everywhere: sponsors taped to the studio walls; parents giving a little extra; dancers shaking donation buckets during the new Dance-a-thon After Party Parade down Main Street; and an entire community responding to the event’s call to “get your glow on” for pediatric cancer awareness.

Dancers moved for two straight hours inside the studio at 526 N. Broad Street, watching real-time numbers jump as pledges came through. At 2 p.m., the energy hit another peak when the studio revealed its coveted 2026 Recital Theme — a moment students anticipate as eagerly as opening night.

Then, from 3 to 4 p.m., the celebration spilled into the streets. With balloons, banners, and gold-and-black outfits shimmering in the autumn sun, dancers “walked and sashayed” their way past local businesses, collecting donations along the way.

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

A gift wrapped in rhythm, color, and heart

For CHOP families, every dollar raised supports programs rooted in comfort and creative healing — music therapy, art therapy, play specialists, mindfulness exercises, and supportive tools offered to children undergoing treatment.

For the Jane Lopoten School of Dance, the fundraiser has become a signature tradition. Since its first year, it has generated more than $15,000 for CHOP — and this year’s leap forward cements the Dance-a-thon as one of Lansdale’s most uplifting grassroots events.

(Credit: Jane Lopoten)

Lopoten presented the check to CHOP this week, closing out an effort defined by the same qualities that fill her studio each day: joy, community, and love for kids who deserve every ounce of hope.

Three hours. Hundreds of dancers and supporters. One unforgettable number: $10,545.

Sometimes, when a community moves together, magic follows the beat.