Chapel Hill, N.C. — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students danced around the clock Friday to help raise money for the North Carolina Children's Hospital.

The dance marathon raised $421,851 and featured 1,600 students. In addition to pledging to stand on their feet for a full 24 hours, all students who registered to dance raised at least $150.

“Seeing the students of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill come together under the same cause of benefiting the patients and families of N.C. Children’s Hospital gives me such hope in what Carolina students are capable of accomplishing,” Taylor Scott, UNC dance marathon coordinator, said in a news release.

Money raised by the students helps patients and families pay medical costs not covered by insurance or Medicaid. That includes phone cards to help families stay informed about a child's treatment, parking and meal vouchers, and holiday dinners for families who can't afford them.

The event has raised more than $2.5 million since the first dance marathon was held 12 years ago.