Visited our campus, followed our social media or passed a college student shaking a tin can at passing cars, and chances are you’ve seen those four looming letters somewhere along the way: T-H-O-N. So what’s it all mean?
To those of you who may not know, THON is most commonly defined as a yearlong fundraising effort comprised of more than 15,000 student volunteers that culminates in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon every February. Formally referred to as the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, THON is known to Penn State students and alumni alike as so much more. Operating as the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, saying that we’re proud of all that we do would be a gross understatement. Sound a little conceited? Call us what you may, but when your efforts are going towards saving the lives of innocent children while providing hope for their families and loved ones, we feel there’s room to brag. THON is our way of showing everyone that college is so much more than drinking and parties – college is a chance to change the world, and when you have a task force of over 15,000, the possibilities are endless. I could continue by sharing the history of THON, the different committees, the facts and figures but all those things can be found on the website.
What I really want each and every one of you to know is why THON is such a big deal to us. Why we travel near and far to stand outside and collect donations, why we spend countless hours addressing envelopes and why we devote so much time to an event that is over in a matter of 46 hours. Well, answering those questions is no easy task. THON is passion, THON is hope, THON is love but, most of all, THON is indescribable. In fact, although I’ve done a lot of it over the past few weeks, finding a way to put THON into words is nearly impossible. It’s something that can’t be described – only experienced. It’s seeing a child’s eyes light up when they take their first steps onto the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center, it’s holding a dancer’s hand as they begin what will most likely be the most challenging 46 hours of their lives, it’s doing the line dance for the 18th time just to distract yourself from your aching feet, and yet, through it all, it’s pure bliss.
I know there’s plenty of you out there who think I’m being dramatic or playing the, “my school is better than yours,” game, but I promise you that’s not my intention. I simply want to explain the reason why understanding Penn State is not possible without understanding THON. It is everything we stand for and who we are. To those of you irritated with the constant status updates or sick of the endless media attention, excuse me when I say “sorry, not sorry.” It is our passion and our pride so you can either mock our efforts or come along for the ride because THON is not going anywhere. In fact, we will not stop until every person on the planet can be heard chanting “FTK” and every child in the world is able to live a healthy and happy life – cancer-free.
Challenge our academics, say what you want about our sports teams, but NEVER doubt our philanthropy. Because next time you ask, “Are they really talking about THON again?” We only have one thing to say…“WE ARE!”
This weekend on February 20-22, Penn State University will be holding its 43rd annual Penn State Dance Marathon at the Bryce Jordan Center. To learn more about where the funds go or how you can help, please visit https://thon.org. FTK!