Forty-years of Dancing For the Kids

Still reeling from the loss of its patriarch in January, the Penn State family raised nearly $10.7 million at its 40^th anniversary THON fundraiser last weekend, with more than $40,000 coming from our area.

The yearlong, student-run program - which raises funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer - totaled a record-breaking $10,686,924.83, more than a million dollars over last year’s total of $9.56 million.

, Penn State’s philanthropic longtime football coach died on Jan. 22. In lieu of flowers, Paterno’s family asked that donations be made to THON in his memory. He had always been a strong supporter of Penn State students and THON’s mission.

“The last time Coach Paterno attended THON Weekend in 2009, he spoke of the organization in high regard, saying, ‘When they say “We are Penn State,” this is what they are talking about,’” said THON public relations captain Daria Sakharova. “We thank his family for their continued thoughtfulness and generosity.”

When a line dance dedicated to Paterno was revealed for the first time, featuring the line, “409, what a run! Thank you JoePa for all you’ve done,” the crowd reacted with enthusiasm.

“It was the first time the entire Bryce Jordan Center erupted into applause and cheers,” said Rebecca Walters, one of Penn State Abington’s dancers. “That was the moment where I thought to myself, ‘Penn State really is a family, and I could not be any happier to be a part of it.’”

This year’s record-breaking fundraising total was a culmination of an entire year of planning and collecting donations across all of Penn State’s campuses.

Even at the local level, Abington Campus had its own record-breaking year, according to Jillian Mensch, 2012 THON chair at PSU Abington. This year, the satellite campus raised “an astonishing $19,000 more than last year, with a final total of $41,695.96,” Mensch said. “We jumped from eighth place among the Commonwealth campuses, to fourth place!”

In the weeks leading up to THON, volunteers from Abington Campus worked hard to stay organized and keep things running smoothly, Mensch said. And, of course, they labored tirelessly to collect as many last-minute donations as possible, with a canning weekend – when Penn Staters stand outside and collect donations in coffee cans from motorists – in early February, and several other fundraising events.

Just before the THON Weekend, Abington Campus held a send-off dinner to recognize their representatives heading to State College Feb. 17-19. About 25 people from Abington Campus traveled to Main Campus, including two dancers, who danced without sitting or sleeping, for 46 hours.

THON’s 708 dancers kicked off the weekend by parading through a human tunnel into the Bryce Jordan Center, where they would spend the weekend. When the fundraising total was announced, the arena went silent for the first time in days.

“It is so hard to put into words what everyone was feeling when that total went up,” she said. “To hear that we broke $10 million was absolutely astounding. I think it made everyone extremely proud to be a Penn Stater. It was absolutely amazing to be part of something this big, and I couldn’t be more proud to be the chair of an organization that did this, for the kids!”

Thanks to THON, and the efforts of students, supporters, families and more than 15,000 volunteers, no child diagnosed with cancer at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital has ever been turned away because of inability to pay. The Four Diamonds Fund offsets the cost of treatment the families’ insurance will not cover, as well as other expenses, like travel and housing.

“We dance to get a feel for the pain and emotions that the kids and their families go through every day. It was not an easy task but there was never a moment where I thought, ‘I can’t do this,’” Walters said. “They go through so much every day, it seemed ridiculous for me to want to complain about pain that would only last me a little while.”