Penn State Fayette leads commonwealth campuses in donations to THON
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THON dancer Kyle Slavic of Penn State Fayette has an emotional moment while opening his Dancer Mail early Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park. (Photo courtesy of Allyssa Long)
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Members of the THON team from Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, pose for a photo at the 2017 THON, held recently at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park. The Fayette team surpassed all other commonwealth campuses in raising funds to fight pediatric cancer. Pictured are (bottom row, from left) Katie Soltis, Colton Layhue, Kyle Slavic, Payton Hileman, Sarah Earnesty, Ashten Flynn, Maria Pyle and Maddie Powell; (top row) Chad Long, Michelle Adams, Julie Rosenberry, Tandy Foust, Austin Morton and Austin Bixler.
Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, collected $93,943 in donations 鈥� more than any other participating commonwealth campus 鈥� for the 2017 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon held recently at University Park蘑菇视频 Bryce Jordan Center to fight pediatric cancer.
With funds raised by student groups throughout the university complex, the 2017 THON total stands at $10,045,478.
鈥淚 knew how much hard work we put in,鈥� said Holly Humbertson, a senior business major from Uniontown, who chairs the Fayette THON team. 鈥淎t first, we didn鈥檛 care what place we were in, but to see we were number one was just an amazing feeling.鈥�
The largest, student-run philanthropy in the world, THON is a 46-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon. Since 1977, it has raised more than $146 million for the Four Diamonds fund at Penn State Hershey Children蘑菇视频 Hospital. The donations cover treatment costs for pediatric cancer patients and supports cancer research.
Chad Long, manager of Student Affairs at Penn State Fayette and a former THON dancer during his undergraduate years, said it is an effort not just by the dancers but the supporters in the stands who endure the weekend with them. Penn State Fayette sent six dancers to THON with a team of 45 members, who carried colorful signs and wore matching T-shirts that were recognized by Onward State, the student-run news site.
鈥淔or the whole team, it蘑菇视频 a grueling weekend. Some people ask why 46 hours? At the end of the day, it蘑菇视频 symbolic of what the children are going through. Our pain over the weekend doesn鈥檛 amount to what they鈥檙e going through with treatment, pain, financial stress,鈥� said Long, who accompanied the Fayette team. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 absolutely worth it.鈥�
This year蘑菇视频 THON included a surprise appearance by singer Joe Jonas, who performed in concert Friday night, as well as Saturday appearances by Gov. Tom Wolf and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, who told the crowd, 鈥淭his is a great inspiration!鈥�
Long said, 鈥淲hen we saw Joe Jonas, the energy in the room was unbelievable.鈥�
Student dancers receive support from their teams and families, who are given permission to visit them for short periods on the dance floor, as well as dancer mail that蘑菇视频 intended to lift their spirits during the long weekend.
THON volunteers provide meals, drinks and entertainment to help the dancers keep going. Spectators offer support by remaining standing throughout the event unless they are medically unable to stand for long periods of times. And Four Diamonds families also visit the dancers during THON, participating in different events and sharing their stories.
The Fayette team began in 1998 with Long as a founding member, raising about $15,000 that first year. In 2015, Fayette collected over $85,000 in donations and became the first of the 19 commonwealth campuses to reach the million-dollar mark in its history of donations. Donations as of now amount to $1,184,446.58.
Long said, 鈥淲e鈥檝e raised almost $1.2 million. For one of the smallest campuses and an area that蘑菇视频 economically depressed, it shows how giving 鈥� not just the team and campus 鈥� but the community is as a whole and where its passion and commitments are.鈥�
Humbertson said fundraising starts each school year in mid-September. This year, Fayette raised nearly $25,000 more than Altoona, which placed second among commonwealth campuses.