Former Penn State Interfraternity Council President Daniel Florencio will dance in the Hollywood Dance Marathon in, well, Hollywood this Saturday. It will be his second time dancing in the Hollywood Dance Marathon, now a four-year old annual tradition. Florencio, a brother of Zeta Psi, served as the IFC president in 2011.

The Hollywood Dance Marathon is the major annual fundraiser for Lights Camera Cure, a philanthropic organization based out of Los Angeles. Much like THON here at Penn State, Lights Camera Cure focuses on spreading pediatric cancer awareness, and raising money to find a cure.

Though thousands of miles apart, there are many ways in which the Hollywood Dance Marathon has taken after Penn State’s THON. According to the Lights Camera Cure website, “the Hollywood Dance Marathon is a high-energy dance party charity event featuring participants that sign up to dance and raise money from family and friends.”

The Hollywood Dance Marathon, which is partly organized by the Los Angeles Penn State Alumni Chapter, raised nearly $200,000 collectively for pediatric cancer during its first three events, and the proceeds collected this year will be donated to the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA as well as the Four Diamonds Fund at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

Florencio never danced in THON while he was a student at Penn State, but was still involved through his position in the IFC.

“In my capacity as IFC President, my only role in THON was to support our dancers and participate in the cause,” he said. “The THON Overall committee does a great job of managing and leading THON throughout the year. Personally, I was a committee member for three years [Rules and Regulations twice, and OPP].”

Florencio is also not the only Penn State influence at Lights Camera Cure.

“Not everyone on the leadership team is a Penn State grad, so it’s really a combined effort of philanthropy-minded alums from all across the country that make it happen,” he said. “The majority, though, are Penn Staters so it’s great to have a taste of home about 2,500 miles away from Happy Valley.”

Anyone can sign up for the Hollywood Dance Marathon as long as they meet the $300 fundraising minimum, a system that differs from THON’s dancer lottery system. Penn State organizations must raise at least $2,000 to earn a ticket to be entered in a raffle for dancers.

“LCC will mark the end of a successful year of raising awareness and funds for the fight against Pediatric Cancer, and in the true spirit of the THON, it will also mark the beginning of LCC 2016,” said Florencio. “There’s always more work to be done.”