Family Hour is without a doubt the saddest part of the otherwise joyful THON, but it's one of the most essential. Last year, Onward State's own Stefan Choquette explained it to me best: "Such a tear jerker. If you're not a waterfall by the end of it, you're a robot."
Family Hour starts at about the forty-fifth hour, when Four Diamonds families are invited up on stage to share their emotional stories with the crowd. Some parents share stories of their children's journeys battling their cancer, eventually triumphing over the disease in the end. But some don't.
The finalists for the Shorty Awards were announced last night and THON has made it into the final six in the Charity category. The Shorty Awards is an international competition that aims to recognize the best content producers on Twitter and social media. The New York Times is quoted as saying "Hollywood has the Oscars. Broadway has the Tonys. Now Twitter has the... Shorty Awards."
THON would not be possible without the hardworking efforts of everyone who took to the streets to go canning. Braving the cold, soliciting drivers, and coming up with the perfect canning dance are all challenges that canners must face in the search for that $20 dollar bill. But with all the challenges come memories that you'll remember forever.
So now, with a week to go until we storm the BJC, we'd like to take a look back at this year's fundraising season. We want to know:
What are your favorite canning stories from this last canning trip, or from this year?
Share your most memorable, emotional, or funny moments in the comments (or, if you have a longer story, send it in to the Community section!). We'll feature the best stories in a post over THON weekend!
Although there are only eight days until THON 2011, there are still plenty of ways your organization can reach its fundraising goals. Find out what you need to know about the final canning weekend, what THON-line is and also how it works as well as more information about both the THON raffle and THON blood drives, after the jump.
The main gym at the White Building turned into a sea of red, blue, green and orange on Wednesday night as THON's dancers began their journey toward the best weekend of their lives with the Color Wars Kickoff.
Dancer mail: maybe the most important thing a dancer can receive during the 46 hours that make up THON. Dancer mail delivery occurs sometime after the pep-rally, which is right about when the first signs of aches and pains and mental breakdown begin to affect the dancers.