The year was 1973. Penn State University Interfraternity Council president Bill Lear was looking for a way to raise money that would support a good cause. His big idea: a dance marathon where Nittany Lions would shake it for a long period of time as donations poured in for his cause du jour.
That first dance marathon was held in the school’s HUB Ballroom with 78 dancers. It lasted 30 hours and raised $2,000-plus. Four years later, that dance marathon officially named Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children's Hospital — which supports children and their families affected by childhood cancer — as the sole beneficiary of its fundraising efforts. In 1983, the marathon hit its first six-figure totals after raising $131,182.
By 1987, the IFC adopted the name “THON” for this now-annual event. THON is now the largest student-run philanthropy in the world with yearlong fundraising efforts at schools nationwide that culminate in a yearly weekend of activities, performances and nonstop dancing. Since its inception, the 16,500 Penn State volunteers who have kept THON going have raised about $190 million for 4,800 Four Diamonds families, according to the organization’s website.
This year will mark Penn State’s 50th THON weekend, which will take the form of a 46-hour dance party that will run Feb. 18-20 at the university’s Bryce Jordan Center. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced THON weekend to go fully virtual last year, the event’s organizers are excited to be putting together in-person festivities again for such an important anniversary.
“It’s a really great time to reflect on the work that past volunteers have done to get us to this point,” said Lily Pevoto, a 21-year-old Penn State senior and communications director for THON 2022. “We truly couldn’t put on this event without years of past volunteers making small improvements, which I think is really impressive.
“It inspires me to make those little changes so in 50 years there’s an executive committee celebrating the 100th anniversary.”
Penn State THON’s main planning team all had thoughtful reasons for getting involved. Ms. Pevoto saw firsthand “how coming together for a cause brought people together like no other” when her community rallied behind the family of a high school classmate who died of leukemia. Caleb Klemick, a 22-year-old senior and THON’s entertainment director, had done some volunteering in high school and wanted to “contribute to something that’s bigger than myself.”
Nolan Marett, a 22-year-old senior and Penn State THON’s public relations director, had an older brother who helped out with THON and said the fundraiser “was my biggest motivator to come to Penn State.” And Kate Colgan, A 23-year-old senior and Penn State THON’s executive director, was around THON from a young age due to having cousins who were involved in its preparation.
“It was something that was part of my life,” Ms. Colgan said. “I thought it was fun as a little kid, and as I got older I started to understand what the event was about. I knew I wanted to be here and wanted to be involved in something like this because I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
Although THON never sets a fundraising goal to keep the focus on providing Four Diamonds families with emotional support, Ms. Colgan said the last few THON cycles have brought in an average of about $10 million in donations.
It’s been a tough two years for Penn State students, especially this group of fourth- and fifth-year Nittany Lions whose last few years of college were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A small silver lining for THON organizers, though, was the pandemic necessitating that they come up with solutions for holding a virtual THON weekend.
Thanks to those innovations, this year’s THON will also be livestreamed for all 46 hours and will also include some interactive elements for folks at home, as well, according to Mr. Klemick.
“We learned we can engage people beyond just State College and make people feel like they’re at THON who aren’t here,” Ms. Colgan said. “That’s become so crucial to us because we can now draw people in who were never going to be able to make it to State College. ... That has become hugely important instead of them feeling like they’re missing out on this weekend of fun.”
Mr. Klemick said that Penn State’s 2022 THON weekend will feature 60 performances from bands, dance teams, a cappella groups and other acts who will be there to help maintain the energy for the 700-plus recognized THON participants. The weekend will also include family programming, a headliner both Friday and Saturday night, and the final four hours devoted to spotlighting childhood cancer patients and their families.
The most noticeable difference between this year’s dance marathon and past THONs will be that everyone is required to be masked at all times while in the Bryce Jordan Center. Ms. Colgan advised anyone looking for more information related to the COVID safety protocols for this year’s THON weekend to visit thon.org closer to opening night.
Both Ms. Colgan and Mr. Marett said that one of the most rewarding things about being involved with Penn State THON is exchanging ideas with THON organizers from schools all around the country. The national impact of Bill Lear’s humble vision looms large as they get ready to kick off the 50th iteration of THON in State College.
“We have our Penn State THON community, but even larger is the overall community of countless volunteers across the country searching for a cure for childhood cancer,” Mr. Marett said. “There are thousands of students dedicated throughout their college career to helping this cause. And that’s really cool to see.”
This will be the last year Ms. Colgan, Ms. Pevoto, Mr. Klemick and Mr. Marett will be directly involved in organizing a THON weekend. However, they all still plan to continue helping out however they can even after they graduate Penn State, and they hope to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
“THON changed my life in so many ways,” Mr. Klemick said. “Really lean in, find a way to get involved that suits you and do so to the best of your ability. You won’t regret it.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
First Published: February 10, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: February 10, 2022, 11:03 a.m.
