THON

More commonly referred to as THON, the most ubiquitous event on campus has been in existence since 1973. Currently benefiting the Four Diamonds Fund at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Children’s Hospital, earlier marathons raised money for various charitable endeavors, ranging from the American Heart Association to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. THON has raised over $100,000,000 since its inception.

Running such a large organization takes a lot of manpower. There are fourteen committees, each with an overall chairperson and about 20 captains, that are responsible for all facets of THON, from fundraising to logistics. In total, there are about 15,000 volunteers that make sure the event and everything leading up to it go as smoothly as possible.

In addition to committees, student organizations, both Greek and independent, raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund through canning and other means. There are multiple canning weekends throughout the school year. It is from these organizations that the majority of the THON dancers are drawn. In 2013, there were 710 dancers, only of which were unaffiliated with any organization.

THON is not limited to THON Weekend, which was held in 2013 from the 15th to the 17th of February. In the leadup to the Dance Marathon, THON organizes events like the THON 5K, the THON Family Carnival, THON Awareness Week and more.