Penn State Dance Marathon
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The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as THON, is a two day dance marathon that takes place every February at the Pennsylvania State University with the purpose of raising money to combat children's cancer. It was started in 1973 by the university's Interfraternity Council, and in its first year, more than $2000 was raised, with 39 couples dancing for 30 hours straight. Today, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world[1], raising more than $4.2 million at the 2006 event. The money that is raised is donated to the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to defeating pediatric cancer through research and caring for patients at the Penn State Children's Hospital. Over 10,000 students get involved in the event each year, organizing it and raising funds with the rallying cry, "For the kids!".
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[edit] History
Originally, THON was proposed as a way to rebuild the Interfraternity Council's image, and began as a dance competition. Over $2000 was raised, and it went to a charity for mentally retarded children, while the couple that raised the most money and completed the thirty hour marathon received $300. The following year, fundraising efforts multiplied, the length of the event was extended to 48 hours, and over $10,000 was raised for the American Heart Association.
In 1977, a new charity was selected to be the recipient of the money raised by the dance marathon, the Four Diamonds Fund. That year, nearly $29,000 was raised, and in 1978, nearly $53,000 was raised and designated for pediatric leukemia. That year, in a car accident while travelling from Penn State to the Hershey Medical Center to deliver the check for the money raised, several students were injured, and one, Kevin Steinberg, was killed. Today, one THON organizer is recognized each year for outstanding service with the Kevin Steinberg Award. That event sealed the bond between THON and the Four Diamonds Fund — THON has made a pledge that all money raised will be donated to Four Diamonds as long as they continue the fight against pediatric cancer.
In 1979, THON held its Kickoff Dinner for the first time and also moved into a new home: the Mary Beaver White Building. That year, the organization raised $72,132 for the kids. In 1982, Penn State Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti spoke to the dancers about losing his brother to leukemia ten years earlier, and the event that year raised over $95,000, and the following year, the sum of $131,000 was raised. In 1988, nearly $300,000 was raised, and in 1990, THON raised $671,000. That year, the Panhellenic Council became an official co-sponsor, and the IFC Dance Marathon became the IFC / Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Two years later, the 20th anniversary THON passed the million dollar mark. $2.0 million was raised in 1998.
In 1995, the organization chose Stacy Bingler as the first female Overall Chairperson. Two years later, in 1997, the first Family Carnival was held, and the next year, THON was held in the White Building for the very last time. In 1999, the marathon moved to Rec Hall. $3.0 million was raised in 2000, only one year later. In 2006, the previous record of $4.1 million was broken when over $4.21 million was raised. 2006 also marked the eleventh year Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha were the top money raising organizations, raising over $300,000 combined. However, Alpha Sigma Phi and Alpha Sigma Alpha hold the distinction of having the longest consecutive top funding stretch. Other organizations that have raised over $300,000 in one year include Pi Kappa Phi and Alpha Chi Omega. In 2007, THON will move again, this time to the larger Bryce Jordan Center.
In recent years, with sufficient money to cover treatment costs, THON has shifted its focus to long-term projects. The first such project was the establishment of the Four Diamonds Research Institute at the Penn State Children's Hospital. Two endowed chair positions, complete with lab funding and research scholarships, have now been funded. The original pledge of $5 million for this project was made in 1999 and was to be paid over 4 years, but the organization did it in only two. In 2004, $10 million, to be contributed over six years, was pledged to create a Pediatric Cancer Pavilion at the Hershey Medical Center. While the current facilities are completely modern from a medical point-of-view, treatment areas are scattered all over the hospital, and many of the facilities are not designed for the treatment of pediatric patients. The Pavilion's design will consolidate all of these functions and include design features—like wide hallways for play and water fountains appropriate for a child's height—designed specifically for its young visitors.
It has been announced that since moving to the Bryce Jordan Center (From Rec Hall across campus) to allow greater size and expansion, the even will last only 46 hours. This move has been decided it will be more beneficial to the families for the valuable pros that come along with the move to the larger BJC.
[edit] Events Throughout the Year
A number of events throughout the year pave the way to THON weekend:
- Tours of the Penn State Children's Hospital are available year-round, enabling student volunteers to connect on a personal level with those whom their generosity benefits.
- 100 Days Until THON is a campus-wide event designed to encourage student involvement. Student volunteers staff information tables and activities all over Penn State's University Park campus.
- The new THON theme is announced each year during Penn State's Homecoming Parade.
- During the Family Carnival, held each November, many current and former Four Diamonds families come up to visit with their "Penn State pals". Penn State's White Building is filled with games in the carnival or boardwalk style, all made and staffed by student volunteers. At the end of the event, THON's organizers unveil the new logo. They also begin selling clothing adorned with the logo, the profits benefiting the charity.
[edit] THON 5K
This event, held in the fall, has grown into the largest 5K in central Pennsylvania. Thousands of runners gather each fall to raise awareness and funds for THON and the Four Diamonds Fund. Awards are given to the top finishers in different age categories. Typically a Four Diamonds family comes and speaks before the race starts. The race starts and ends at the IM Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
[edit] The Kick-off Dinner
This event, held in late January, was once the beginning of the "fundraising window", the period during which organizations may solicit funds in the charity's name. Year-round fundraising is prohibited for a variety of reasons. However, the fundraising window has been significantly expanded, now usually starting in early October. The Kick-off Dinner is no longer formally linked to fundraising, and has instead become a celebration of the "spirit of THON", featuring speeches by THON organizers and the presentation of awards to exceptional volunteers.
Awards include:
- The Diamond Awards: four awards given to those who best embody the virtues of Courage, Wisdom, Honesty, and Strength, which Chris Millard felt were essential for defeating pediatric cancer.
- The Rick Funk Leadership Award: given to any full-time undergraduate of at least 6th semester standing who has demonstrated commitment, loyalty, leadership, and the ability to motivate others involved in Dance Marathon.
- Kevin Steinberg Award: given to one THON organizer each year to recognize service to Dance Marathon and the Four Diamonds Fund.
[edit] THON Weekend
While Dance Marathon encompasses all of the fundraising and spirit activities held throughout the year, THON Weekend is the actual marathon itself, taking place during the third weekend in February. In 2007, THON moves to its new home in the Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State University campus in State College, PA. Captains, committee members, and the Overall Committee spend the entire weekend there conducting the event, even sleeping in makeshift accommodations set up throughout the building. Each of the organizing committees is responsible for different tasks throughout the weekend. For example, Morale keeps the dancers motivated, Rules and Regs keeps them safe, and OPPerations performs construction and janitorial duties.
The dancers, unlike the volunteers, do not get to take a break. They are, however, treated to a variety of food solicited by the Hospitality committee and donated by various local restaurants and stores. Volunteers are also responsible for ensuring that the dancers are entertained throughout the two days. For many years now, Larry Moore has been the event's official DJ, staying awake with the dancers and spinning their favorite tunes as well as crowd favorites like "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. While teams were once ranked by their dancing, docked points for both time off the floor and not keeping time with the music, Dance Marathon has become a no-sitting, no-sleeping marathon. Dancers are expected to remain awake and on their feet all weekend. It is not unusual to see dancers remain standing even while receiving medical attention from athletic trainers and EMTs who also volunteer their time.
Many visitors come to Penn State for THON Weekend. Alumni, especially those with past volunteer involvement, frequently return for the event. Penn State Lion Ambassadors make certain to introduce prospective students and their families to the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Current and former Four Diamonds families (those receiving support from the Fund for their child's illness) are perhaps the most welcome visitors. Dancers and fundraising organizations look forward to seeing the children that ultimately benefit from their actions. The Family Relations committee is responsible for ensuring their time there is a respite from their usual concerns.
Local and national news coverage of the event is common. Large sections of both the campus newspaper, The Daily Collegian, and the local newspaper (The Centre Daily Times) are devoted to covering it each year. It has been featured on The Today Show on NBC more than once. Each year, promotional videos are produced which are widely purchased by students and alumni. In 2005, under the guidance of the Technology committee, webcasts were begun on both the public Internet and high-speed Penn State inter-campus links. The former received enough hits to saturate the available bandwidth. The latter brought the events to children being treated at Hershey who were too sick to make the trip themselves.
[edit] Student involvement
Besides the 700 dancers and over 3,000 organizers, thousands of Penn State students get involved in raising money for THON. These students are generally organized into teams under other student organizations. Many organizations field THON teams, from fraternities and sororities to the Undergraduate Student Government. Teams are responsible for abiding by rules issued by the Overall Committee, the organizing body of THON, but are otherwise independent and allowed to raise funds however they see fit. Most of them go "canning", standing in public places throughout the U.S. Northeast on weekends from November to February with cans carrying the Penn State logo and the plea to "Help Kids with Cancer". Other students employ door-to-door solicitation and letter solicitation, while others request corporate donations. There has been a recent shift in focus to these alternative forms of fundraising as worries have emerged over student safety while canning. Nevertheless, it is an important part of fundraising, and the camaraderie fostered by a team canning trip is often a motivating factor in continued involvement in the activity.
Fundraising is not the only focus. One of THON's primary goals is to raise awareness of the plight of children afflicted with pediatric cancer. Campus organizations, especially fraternities and sororities, compete for "Spirit Points" that are seen as in the "Spirit of THON". Possibilities for earning points include volunteering on one of the organizing committees, hosting or attending THON events, and donating materials necessary for the weekend itself. While points were once awarded purely on number of team members involved, there has been a recent shift to awards based on percentage of members involved. This new system was an attempt to level the playing field for smaller student organizations. The winning organization receives a number of prizes, including special admission privileges to that year's event, as well as the following year's.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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