BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State University club water polo teams posted a video on “Why We Thon” in a series as part of the institution’s Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as THON.
The video is in competition as part of the “Why I Dance” contest for Dance Marathon participants asking why each group is passionate about your cause. One Grand Prize winner will receive a $5K donation to their Campus Causes campaign, and five Runners-Up will receive $1K donations each.
To vote for the water polo teams’ video, visit: http://woobox.com/jqt5da/gallery/Czv7y4QSCyY
Donations for THON can be made at: https://thon.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=810
THON is a 46-hour dance marathon that takes place every February at Penn State in University Park, Pa., with the purpose of raising money and providing emotional support to children and families in order to combat pediatric cancer. It was started in 1973 by the university’s Interfraternity Council, and in its first year, more than $2,000 was raised, with 39 couples dancing for 30 hours straight. Today, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, by involvement and revenue with $13,343,517.33 having been raised at the 2014 event. To date, a total of $147,703,369.10 has been raised since 1973 through THON. The money that is raised is donated to The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to defeating pediatric cancer through research and caring for patients at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. 74% of funds are transferred to an experimental therapeutics fund while 12% of funds are used for patient and family support. More than 15,000 students get involved in THON each year, organizing it and raising funds with the rallying cry, “For The Kids!”.
