Three years ago, Ben Greenberg was among the inaugural members of Pillar, which was formed after a group of freshmen living in Tener Hall missed committee sign-ups but still wanted to participate in THON. This year, the Long Island native is Pillar’s Finance Director–but more importantly, he’s one of eight dancers for the organization–which is half as many members as Pillar had when it began in 2008.

His own experience–growing at Penn State alongside the organization–has made dancing particularly meaningful for Ben, who could hardly put into words what it’s been like “seeing [Pillar] grow to this size,” with over 150 members and boasting one of the highest fundraising totals of any organization. Last year, the group raised over $100,000–almost eight times what they raised that first year.

Asked to describe the most emotional moment of THON thusfar, Ben couldn’t pick out a singular experience. “Dancing with the kids, and seeing the smile on their faces as they step away from the not-so-normal lives has been incredible,” he said.

But he’s also enjoyed some of the musical performances at THON, and thought they provided a necessary jolt to the increasingly tired dancers. “I really liked My Hero Zero and Total Whiteout,” he said. “Those live bands get everyone vibing, and get a really fun atmosphere in the BJC.”

Though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact time, Ben knew that THON was winding down, and knew he’d get through it, as long as he has two things:

“Good friends around me, and good music to dance to.”

With seven other Pillar dancers, and an “awesome” moraler by his side, Ben should have all the moral support he needs for the last 12 hours of THON. I guess that means it’s all up to D.J. Larry Moore and the rest of the bands that will take the stage Sunday.