After gaining an extra dancer, this year’s THON is showing how much Boulevard has grown since its inception in 2011.

Brian Sanvido, a fifth year senior and former Boulevard president who was one of its first members, said it’s been incredible to watch the organization turn from a meeting in East about what the group’s name is going to becoming to a 150-member club.

Boulevard increased its dancer number from four to five this year, and so far they are doing really well — Sanvido said they haven’t hit a wall yet and are in good spirits. It’s helpful that this year’s Boulevard dancers know each other really well and can support each other, he said.

The organization supports two THON families, the Clousers and the Splawns, sophomore Drew Entriken said. Both families visited THON on Friday, and Entriken said they had a ton of fun while they were here.

The organization’s THON families have really helped Boulevard to grow into what it is today, Sanvido said, especially after their first THON, Sanvido said. In 2012, they were assigned their first THON family about two weeks before the event. They weren’t sure exactly what to do, but in a reversal of roles, the families supported Boulevard and helped them get set up.

For Entriken, Boulevard has given him a chance to find his niche in a sea of Penn Staters and to give back to the kids.

“Boulevard is basically my second family,” he said. “It helped me find all of my friends.”

Entriken said that what he loves most about THON is being able to give the kids a break from all of the things they are going through and allowing them to have a little fun.

After watching the organization grow to what it is today, Sanvido said Boulevard and all of THON has been really special to him throughout his Penn State career.

“It’s not just Boulevard, it’s Penn State giving their heart,” he said. “It’s an opportunity that you’re not going to get at most places, and it’s really special to me.”