Penn State's Thon Dance Marathon and the Positive Influence on Local High Schools

Pennsylvania State University is becoming more and more well-known for its proud students and their charitable 46 hour dance party known as “Thon.” Thon has been known to raise millions of dollars for The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity that supports children’s hospitals in the hopes of curing cancer and helping families through difficult stages. Now, local high schools in the Berks County area are getting involved and creating their own “mini-thon” to raise money for the same important cause. Many of the high schools involved have raised thousands of dollars. This year, Penn State students raised $13,343,517.33 which broke their previous record.

The three articles I used for this blog are from Penn State University’s The Daily Collegian, The New York Times, and The Reading Eagle. Each article explains what Thon is and how it helps people locally and spreads hope nationally.

According to the article “THON 2014 raises $13,343,517.33 for the kids, breaks 2013 total” by Gabriella Santoliquito of The Daily Collegian (a newspaper that is published by Penn State University students), this was the 42^nd Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon which over the years has raised over $101 million for children’s cancer at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Thon has become a way to show people how much people came do when they come together. It has become a way for students to raise money in a fun, upbeat college environment. It is part of what makes student “Penn State Proud.”

The New York Times wrote a similar article explaining what Penn State’s Thon felt like from a writer’s point of view. In the article, “Taking a Stand for 46 Hours” by Fred R. Conrad, he explains the emotions, hard work, and commitment students had during their 46 hour dance marathon. He explained that dancers participating in Thon had to stay awake for whole 46 hours, although they did not need to be dancing the entire time. Each dancer had to have a “morale” to be responsible for keeping the dancer at a healthy energy level and occasionally giving them “piggyback rides.” Among the dancers, there were thousands of other students, families, and children there to enjoy the party. Local bands headline the event and student organizations take turns cheering for their team members. Students say that it is an incredible experience that almost always brings them to tears. Families who have been affected by childhood cancer stand up on the stage to speak to the crowd of thousands, telling their own emotional stories and giving their appreciative thanks. It brings everyone together in the crowd and gives a spine chilling emotional break that makes everyone proud of what they have done. According to the article, it is considered a privilege to be a dancer at Thon. Conrad ends the article by saying, “The fact is, Thon probably has more to do with Penn State students than football does. They are not looking to make someone an all-star; they are doing charitable work. And it wasn’t just one student, it was thousands doing that." I personally agree and applaud the charitable work of these thousands of students.

On a more local note, high schools are getting involved with their own “mini-Thons” to help raise money by doing overnight dance marathons at the school. They basically do the same thing as the real Thon, only on a much, much smaller scale. According to the Reading Eagle’s article, “Mini-Thon at Wilson could raise $20,000” Wilson High School held its first ever mini-Thon with the goal of raising at least $10,000. Their mini-Thon, like Penn State’s Thon was held to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Medical Center to help children with cancer. The high school had around 200 hundred students registered to spend the night dancing and playing games for 12 straight hours in the school’s gymnasium. Wilson High School ended up surpassing its goal of $10,000 and raised a total of $23,528 for the Four Diamonds Fund. According to the article, they are planning on doing another mini-Thon next school year with the hopes of raising even more.

I chose the topic of Thon because it was a recent event that really draws communities together. Many of the high schools in the local area have been getting involved. I personally was able to stop by Wyomissing High School’s mini-Thon to check out the activities. It’s a great way to bring people together and raise money for an important cause.