Name: Regina Duesler
Major: MAcc (Accounting and Finance)

Past THON Experience:
THON 2016: Finance Committee Member
THON 2017: Finance Admin Captain
THON 2018: Finance Assistant Treasurer Captain

Name an interesting, weird, or quirky fact about yourself:

I’m really good at chubby bunny.

What made you want to apply for the Finance Director position for THON 2019?

Since my first committee meeting freshman year, I have been in awe of the magic that is THON. THON brings students together and gives us an opportunity to make a tangible impact on the world. I knew after first meeting that THON would be “my thing” in college.

Being on a finance committee since my freshman year, I have been able to see both THON as a whole and the finance committee evolve. I wanted to play an even larger role in that change, which is why I applied to be the THON 2019 Finance Director. I was thrilled at the idea of seeing THON from a wider lens, and making a difference from a different perspective. I have always been motivated by my leaders on Finance, so I am excited to be able to give back and inspire the next generation of THON Volunteers to continue as THON’s driving force in finding a cure.

What are your responsibilities as the Finance Director?

As the Finance Director I am in charge of creating and maintaining the THON 2019 budget, the Summary of Fundraising Activities and work to assure that all monetary donations are processed with integrity by the 25 captains and 90 committee members. I also oversee the calculation of all organization totals and ultimately calculate the total during THON Weekend!

What do you want to implement in your position this year that’s unique and differs from years past?

This year, we have worked very closely to TECH to implement new systems to automatically update organization totals on THINK. This is something that has been in the works for many years, so I am very excited we were able to make this happen. This has come with a lot of shifting of responsibilities within the committee, which is helping to educate all Captains on different facets of Finance!

What makes the Finance Committee so cool, fun, and/or important?

Finance is unique because we have the opportunity to physically see the donations that are funding research and care for the children and families. Since this isn’t something that can be done anywhere besides the THON Office, the Finance Committee is very close knit as we spend many hours a week together counting all of the bills, coins, and checks that come into the office!

What are the overall goals you hope to reach with your committee for THON 2019?

My biggest goal for this year is to be sure all donors, volunteers, and stakeholders are confident that their donation is impactful. Through efficiently processing donations, communicating effectively to donors and organization chairs, and maintaining our 95% fundraising efficiency rate, THON stands out among other organizations!

Why do you THON?

THON is the most incredible support system I have ever come across. The support we provide for the families is unprecedented. The relationships that are formed between Four Diamonds Families and THON Volunteers is so impactful. We support our families emotionally through every moment of their journey, and this is so unique to THON. Through all of our volunteers’ efforts, the financial support we are able to provide assures that families can focus on taking care of their child. I THON so we can continue to support our families, during, and more importantly, beyond their fight with childhood cancer.

What’s your favorite THON memory?

My favorite THON memory is when I visited Hershey my sophomore year. We were there when a Four Diamonds child was ringing the bell for his last day of treatment! It was amazing to see the support of the doctors and nurses who had been treating him over the course of his chemo, and his entire school was able to Facetime in to cheer him on. That was the first time I was able to witness the reality of the changes we are making in these children’s lives. It made me even more passionate about working toward a cure so every child fighting can ring the bell, and so one day we can ring the bell in celebration of a cure.

Per Onward State tradition, if you could be any dinosaur, which one would you be and why?

Microraptor! I’ve always wanted to fly and I think being a really big dinosaur would get tiring, so a small flying dinosaur would be perfect.