Meet The Toms River Native Who Leads Penn State's THON, World's Largest Student-Run Philanthropy

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — Somewhere amid the 16,500 students packed into the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend, Austin Sommerer is moving about, keeping tabs on what's going on at THON 2017.

That's because Sommerer, a Toms River native, is the executive director of THON, the Penn State University student-run philanthropy that raises funds to assist families of children fighting cancer. As executive director, Sommerer oversees everything THON — from making sure all the necessary electrical equipment is in place for 46 hours of dance music to connections with the families that THON is assisting.

Every minute of it, he said — hundreds of hours committed to THON over his four years at Penn State — has been with one thing in mind: it's For The Kids.

THON, for the newly initiated, is the annual no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon held at Penn State's main campus. It started in 1973 as the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, created by a group of students looking to give back to their community. From 78 students who danced for 30 hours that first year, the event has grown into the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. From that initial event, THON has developed into a yearlong fundraising marathon that culminates in the 46-hour event being held at Bryce Jordan Arena.

For students, "they will never have an opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger than themselves like this at any other point in their lives," Sommerer said; THON has raised more than $136 million over the years, money that goes to its sole beneficiary, Four Diamonds at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

"It's not just the 46 hours," Sommerer said. "There are also 45 events over the course of the year."

For Sommerer, a 2013 graduate of Toms River High School East, getting involved with THON was a natural progression from his Toms River childhood.

"My family was very involved with Ocean of Love," he said. His father, Dr. Frank Sommerer, sits on the board of the Toms River-based charity that assists Ocean County families of children fighting cancer. "I vividly remember going to picnics with young children (who were fighting cancer). My youngest brother had a friend who was an Ocean of Love child."

"That network of support made me aware of the cause," Sommerer said.

When he got to Penn State, he said, "I knew THON was someting I really wanted to get involved in."

Being involved was nothing new for Sommerer; he was president of the student body at Toms River East and played soccer and ran track for the Raiders. He spent much of his senior year of high school trying to help those whose lives had been turned upside down when Superstorm Sandy struck the Jersey Shore just before Halloween in 2012.

"I used that as an opportunity to help others," he said, noting that Toms River East, which draws most of its students from the portions of town that lie along Barnegat Bay, was affected significantly by the storm.

As a freshman, his first experience with THON blew his mind.

"I definitely didn't expect what I walked into," he said. "I was under impression it would be like any other event." But the energy is higher than any other event on campus, he said.

The high school involvement provided a natural transition for his involvement with THON.

"I took that passion of event planning and fundraising (from being president of the student body) and put it to work," Sommerer said.

Unlike his high school years, however, the marketing major found he had to phase out his participation in other campus activities as his commitment to THON grew. He got involved with the public relations committee, and last year he was the head of the entertainment committee, putting in hundreds of hours in the process.

Serving as executive director is a whole different experience, Sommerer said. He oversees all 16 THON committees, helping guide them to accomplish their goals. He vets fundraising ideas and engagement techniques as the group looks for various ways to build its donor base in an ever-changing fundraising world.

Sommerer said he has been focused on online giving, as digital fundraising has taken off in forms such as phone apps, peer-to-peer giving like GoFundme and similar sites, and donations raised by shopping on a particular website where a percentage is directed to a charity.

"There are thousands of opportunities" for digital giving, he said. Figuring out which ones best fit the mission and needs of THON and are in line with Penn State University's mission takes research. "I want to bring online giving to the next level."

He said they also spend time assisting the THON efforts at Penn State's commonwealth campuses — including the main campus at University Park, there are 24 campuses in the system — by providing fundraising support, creating ways for those groups to accept direct-deposit donations and event support. Each campus participates at a different level, but all THON participants gather at the main campus for the main event.

Sommerer also sits on the advisory board of Four Diamonds, which meets on a quarterly basis. This year marks 40 years of partnership with Four Diamonds, which funds pediatric cancer research as well as provides financial support to families dealing with childhood cancer. The research funding has made Penn State Children’s Hospital part of the Cancer Oncology Group (COG) and the Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators Consortium (POETIC), "taking (the THON) mission beyond Pennsylvania and spreading hope around the world."

Sommerer also meets regularly with with Penn State officials to make sure what THON is doing is aligned appropriately with the university, he said.

"My most important role is creating and maintaining relationships with all of those key stakeholders," he said.

Most important among those stakeholders are the families they are assisting, he said. More than 3,700 families have been helped by Four Diamonds through THON's support, according to the THON website. It's not just about the money; THON participants build relationships with families that transcend the weekend at Bryce Jordan Center.

"It is amazing to be able to create this lifelong relationship with the families that are helped," Sommerer said.

The families join the students at THON, dancing alongside those who are giving them help, both financial and emotional, and hope for a cure.

"(THON) is about the community," Sommerer said. "It's the most incredible group of volunteers. It's the donors who come back year after years, and most of all, it's the families."

"Having everyone in one room, the magnificence of that event, is something you never forget," Sommerer said.

If you want to donate, text THON to 50555 to make a $10 donation FTK — For The Kids.

Students pack Bryce Jordan Center during THON 2016; Austin Sommerer with one of the Four Diamonds children helped by THON. Photos provided by Austin Sommerer