Sunday night was one that Kirsten Kelly will not soon forget. At around 11pm, it was announced that she would be the 2011 THON Overall Chairperson. Kelly wanted to be the Overall Chair because, in her words, “I believe in the role THON is playing in the fight against pediatric cancer and want to take THON to the next level. I want to take advantage of the opportunities THON has for growth and improvement so we can provide outstanding emotional and financial support to the children, families, researchers and staff of the Four Diamonds Fund.”

Having spent THON 2010 as the Merchandise Overall Chairperson, Kelly has already played a very important role in THON’s success. She had this to say about how her experiences in the past year will aid her in the next: “[My experiences] have taught me a lot about communication, leadership and what THON needs in the future. The interaction I had with the THON community through that position will be an asset to my year as the Overall Chair. Not to mention I have tons of THON gear to wear after this past year!”

The Overall Chair having been selected, the next step on the road towards THON 2011 is picking the Overall Committee. Applications for those positions are due this Friday and can be found on the THON website in .doc format. Interviews take place next week. Kelly said she is “excited to pick the next group of leaders of THON and for the great year we have ahead of us.”