Have you seen the #CyberCanning hashtag making its way through your Twitter timeline? Here’s how it started, and why you should keep it going.

It all started with Lars, and by Lars I mean Lauren Tecce (@TheLarsTC), a current Penn State freshman and my wonderful little sister. She sent me a text message expressing her disappointment in not being able to can this weekend. She also declared that she planned to donate extra money to THON as a result of the cancellation. When she mentioned that she hoped others would do the same, a lightbulb went off in my head.

I’m often labeled as the social media nerd in my group of friends, and for a good reason. Naturally, the lightbulb that went off consisted of a social media campaign designed to boost THONline donations to compensate for the money we would have raised this weekend. With the help of my roommate, Adam Brown (@adamB_PSU), I crafted a simple statement with a catchy hashtag (we’re both marketing majors). The tweet read as follows:

I pledge to donate $20 to @THON in place of this canning weekend. RT if you will too. #CyberCanning

The campaign took off, as I hoped it would. First, friends and followers of Adam and I showed their support. Then, thanks to Onward State, the message reached a much larger portion of the Penn State community.

My biggest wish for this campaign is that everyone follows through with their pledge to donate while urging others to do the same. Keep RTing the message and using the hashtag, and tweet it at a few celebs while you’re at it! You can also help the #CyberCanning movement by “liking” the Facebook page of 6ABC Action News, as it has pledged to donate to THON for every “like” they receive today.

In 27 days, I will take the floor full of pride and love as a THON 2012 dancer for my organization, Nittany Nation. Until then, let’s keep #CyberCanning going FOR THE KIDS!

Donate today at THON.org.