Music Marathon Raises Money for Cancer Research

That Eagle’s Nest piano kid, Dennis Carr, performs at Music for Mark, held in McElroy Commons.

McElroy echoed with the sounds of Music for Mark, a 9.4- hour music marathon in honor of Mark Herzlich, the now famous BC linebacker diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma. The length of the marathon refers to Herzlich’s number on the team – 94.

Eleven different BC performance groups and individual artists, including Ayla Brown, a BC student and semi-finalist in Season 5 of American Idol, per- formed in the event. Each hour, on the hour, a different group or performer was featured, from 11 a.m. to 8:40 p.m. The performances were connected by the piano playing of McElroy’s own piano man, Dennis Carr. Carr also coordinated and managed the entire event, and proposed the marathon to the event sponsors – the Emerging Leader Program, BC Dining Services, and UGBC.

A proceeds table was located in the lobby outside of the Chocolate Bar. One hundred percent of the proceeds collected were donated to Uplifting Athletes, a non-profit organization dedicated to cancer research. Even without a card machine allowing students to donate eagle bucks to the cause, the event resonated with them, and the fundraiser managed to raise over $1000 to the cause in loose cash donations.

Additionally, for every $5 donation, donators earned a chance to win an autographed Matt Ryan helmet. In order to win the helmet, the donators had to be present at the end of the night when the drawing was held. Lucky freshman Trevor Morris won the helmet.

Heavy Feather, a rap group on campus, kicked off the event at 11 a.m., and were followed at 12 p.m. by the Madrigal Singers, an acapella group who sang Renaissance-period music and Christmas carols. Voices of Imani performed at 1 p.m., singing Christian songs, in keeping with their commitment to faith- based music. A quartet from BC bOp!, a jazz group, continued the music at 2 p.m. An emerging artist and freshman, Connell Driscoll, performed next, and was followed by the Dance Organization of Boston College dancing to “Silent Night” and “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Taylor Wagner, a sophomore, felt that “the DOBC dances really got the people watching into the Christmas spirit, and stopping by Music for Mark was a great way to spend the day.”

Swingkids followed, socially dancing to their favorite music. The Bostonians followed, and sang some of their set, along with an apparent crowd favorite – a Lady Gaga medley.

Ayla Brown then performed at a little before 8, impressing the crowd with each song. After performing her first song, entitled “Know You Better,” from her CD, she performed “Unwritten,” by Natasha Beddingfield, a song she sang on American Idol. She then sang a Jessica Andrews song, entitled “Who I Am.” Ayla then prompted the room to give Dennis Carr a standing ovation for all of his hard work, recognizing the magnitude of the event and his dedication to the cause.

The second half of Ayla’s set concluded with “Where are you Christmas,” during which her mom started crying, “I Quit,” from her CD, and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the song she auditioned with for American Idol. Ayla announced that the event had raised over $1000, drew the winning ticket for the Matt Ryan helmet, and ended the night.

The proceeds from the marathon will benefit Uplifting Athletes, a non-profit organization of college football players, which raises money for research into rare diseases. Dennis Carr, the brains behind Music for Mark, plays the piano in-between group performances.

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