THON Fun Facts

Fun Facts about the History of THON:

♦ The first Dance Marathon was held in held Penn State's HUB ballroom on February 2nd, 1973.

♦ In 1976, Dance Marathon revealed its first ever theme: “Dance for Those Who Can't.”

♦ Beginning in 1977, a little known charity called The Four Diamonds Fund became the beneficiary of Dance Marathon's efforts.

♦ The Dance Marathon of 1979 included the very first Road to THON Celebration, held to kick off the THON season even earlier, and a move to a new home, The Mary Beaver White Building.

♦ In 1988, the 15th Annual IFC Dance Marathon saw the adopted form its current official name, THON.

♦ With THON’s 20th anniversary in 1992, the total reached one million dollars.

♦ In 1997, Four Diamonds Families and THON's student volunteers met a few months before THON for the first ever Family Carnival.

♦ 1999 brought about THON’s move to a new home on the west side of campus: Rec Hall.

♦ In 2002, the first ever THON 5K was held.

♦ THON's 35th anniversary, in 2007, centered on the “big move” to its current home in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Themes from the past ten years:

  ♦ 2001 – “Within Reach”

  ♦ 2002 – “…With All Your Heart”

  ♦ 2003 – “Hope Surrounds Us”

  ♦ 2004 – “Always Believing”

  ♦ 2005 – “Embracing Dreams, Sharing Tomorrow”

  ♦ 2006 – “Together We’ll Prevail”

  ♦ 2007 – “Many Hearts, One Home”

  ♦ 2008 – “Hope Finds A Way”

  ♦ 2009 – “Dream Forward”

  ♦ 2010 – “Love Belongs Here”