Name: Anne Papandreas

Major: Biobehavioral Health

Past THON Experience:

THON 2018: Dancer Relations Committee Member
THON 2019: Public Relations Captain (Media Relations)
THON 2020: Family Relations Captain (Administrative Assistant)

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

I love TikTok!

What made you want to apply for the Family Relations Director position for THON 2021?

Throughout the past 3+ years as a THON volunteer, I have learned so much from the Four Diamonds Families that we serve. The relationships I have developed and the memories I have formed with these incredible families are what have driven me to continue being a THON volunteer. I owe so much of my character to the parents, children, and siblings who have had an insurmountable impact on me as a volunteer, leader, and friend. The influence that every family has on this community fills me with the motivation to ensure that every family feels loved and supported by THON through all phases of their journey.

This is what led me to want to take on more and have a greater impact on providing this emotional support. I hoped to serve on the Executive Committee so that I could help connect all THON volunteers with these life-changing relationships. The impact of a volunteer’s interaction with a parent or a child can be so powerful as we strive to uplift our families in their fight. It has been an honor for me to know and love our THON families, and their authentic bravery inspires me every day in this position.

What are your responsibilities as the Family Relations Director?

As the Family Relations Director, I have the honor of working with the 22 captains on my committee to ensure that the families we serve remain at the heart of everything that THON does. My committee is responsible for facilitating interactions between volunteers and families, helping to encourage meaningful relationships across the THON community. We work to create and uphold programming opportunities that provide special experiences for Four Diamonds Families, such as the TEENetwork, Penn Pal Program, Captain-In-Training, New Family Orientation, and so many others.

The Family Relations Committee also has the special opportunity to pair THON organizations with Four Diamonds Families through the Adopt-A-Family Program, connecting more volunteers with avenues to provide emotional support. We also work to educate the THON community on the realities of a family’s journey with cancer; we amplify and champion Four Diamonds Families’ voices through the Family Education Program, Family Focus Videos, and other spotlights. In short, as the Family Relations Director, I have the opportunity to help foster a unified sense of community, centering all THON volunteers around the emotional support that we
provide to all families.

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

This year, it has been super exciting to implement new and engaging ways to connect volunteers with our families in the virtual space. Through remote committee meeting crashes with families and virtual craft sessions for Harvest Day, the Family Relations Committee has come up with incredible ways to keep families connected in the virtual space. A new initiative that my committee pursued this year was sending packages to families prior to major events with supplies that coincided with our virtual programming. For Harvest Day, we sent all families a box with plastic pumpkins, paint and paintbrushes, and other activities for us to participate in activities together over Zoom.

This concept was so unique and exciting because it allowed us the opportunity to keep our families actively engaged, even when we aren’t physically together in person. Because our families enjoyed their Harvest Day packages, we are planning to send boxes to all families for virtual THON Weekend so that they have different, physical ways to stay connected to our live stream! Given this remote time period, I was so proud of the way that the Family Relations Committee collaborated to put together these amazing packages. Being able to include physical mail in the boxes, along with the different craft supplies, provided a creative, tangible, and exciting solution to holding events over Zoom.

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

The Family Relations Committee is unique because we have the special gift of getting to liaise between Four Diamonds Families and the rest of the THON Community. One amazing aspect of being on the Family Relations Committee is having the chance to get to know a handful of families, both through keeping in touch with them as their Family Contact and by spending time with them at events.

However, I would say that the most beautiful part of this committee is that we get to pass these connections on to other volunteers and supporters. Four Diamonds Families become such an important part of our lives, and we get to help facilitate opportunities for other volunteers to establish those same life-changing connections. It is so empowering to witness firsthand the hope and inspiration that our families provide to this community, and then pass this on to volunteers, organizations, alumni, donors, and so many others.

What are the overall goals you hope to reach with your committee for THON 2020?

The impact of family interaction can be powerful. Connecting every volunteer and every supporter with these interactions can create an overwhelming wave of progress as they are driven to fully live out THON’s mission. My primary goal for this year is to ensure that every single THON Family is reminded every single day of just how loved they are. 2020 has undeniably brought so many changes to our lives, but our commitment to providing emotional support to our families remains stronger than ever. My vision for this year was to find new and innovative ways to connect families with the volunteers who work hard to ensure that THON can shine light in their lives.

By creating resources and opportunities for organizations through the Adopt-A-Family program, our goal is to empower them as they support their paired families in this virtual setting. We have also worked toward the goal of connecting volunteers on committees with families through our different programming, such as the Warm Welcome Program, Teen Mentorship Program, Captain-In-Training, Penn Pal, Family Zoom Crashes, and so much more. In connecting as many volunteers with our wonderful families as possible, I envision an even stronger network of support rallying behind our children, teens, adults, and angels.

Why do you THON?

I THON so that every family knows that they have an entire team of 16,500 students fighting alongside them in every step of their journey. I THON so that every family’s story is celebrated and that their voices can be amplified. Cancer is so ugly and so cruel, but the commitment and love from the THON community are stronger. I THON so that Four Diamonds
Families can lean on us in their bad days and cheer with us on their best days.

I THON to keep the memories of our angels more vibrant than ever. Every family who I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting shines a bright light into the world, and I THON for their children, their parents, their siblings, their angels, and their friends. I know that one day, there will be a cure for childhood cancer, and I THON for the families with who we will one day dance together in celebration.

What’s your favorite THON memory?

My favorite THON memory was having the opportunity to attend the vigil that ATO and ZTA set up to honor the life of Joyce Ortiz. This event allowed me to see firsthand the immense impact that a group unified by hope and love can have. Feeling the THON community come together to celebrate Joyce’s life was one of the most special experiences that I have ever been a
part of. Saying goodbye to Joyce took a toll on so many individuals, from her own family to ATO and ZTA, from Family Relations to the entire THON community; she was strong, determined, and so loved.

Though my relationship with Joyce was not as close as that with her organization members, they welcomed the Family Relations Committee and the THON community with open arms to celebrate Joyce with them at her remembrance. This entire experience was beautiful, as volunteers and friends came together to continue this fight in the spirit of Joyce and keep her memory alive. Attending Joyce’s vigil was indescribable; I felt as though she was in the room with us. Listening to so many stories about her life and hearing roaring laughter through tears from the entire group opened my eyes to exactly how and why THON is so special; we really do fight as one.

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

A Saurolophus because of Ducky (a queen) in the “The Land Before Time” movies (iconic).