Adopt A Family

“One of our favorite traditions is going to Knoebels every year to celebrate William’s birthday! We can ride his favorite rides together, play carnival games, and spend the whole day celebrating his life. While we never got to meet William, his story and family will forever be intertwined with ours, and weare proud to be part of his family. Through the Nesbits, we have learnedso much about strength, love, and the power of the THON community.” — The College of Earth and Mineral Science, paired with the William Sweger/Nesbit Family 

“We love our partnership with the Knepp family because we have truly become a family over the past couple of years. The Knepp’s are here for us just as much as we are for them. Landon and Izzy truly are like siblings to us and they run up to us with open arms each time we see them! The two of them bring an incredible amount of joy into our lives, and we look forward to watching them continue to grow throughout this upcoming year.”

“Watching Mckenna’s progress this past year in treatment has given the entire club a whole new perspective on life. Mary telling us we were able to make Mckenna smile despite having a hard day was the most rewarding thing in the world. It’s always the little things that make you realize just how much our support means to these families who are going through such unimaginable circumstances, and it is such an honor to be a small part in making their lives just a little easier.”

“I have a general comment for all orgs… Please remind them that sometimes they are the only friends our kids have during treatment. Cancer takes away so much. They can make a huge difference in the life of our kids, not to mention be huge role models. I will forever be grateful to the Penn State students that were there for our family.”

“I would never be able to speak highly enough of Club swim! They have been there for us and truly have become like family. They have been a tremendous blessing to all of us over the last three years!”

“We absolutely LOVE our orgs, and can’t say enough about how amazing they are! We can’t even imagine life without them.”

“I’d love for families to know even though it’s overwhelming to meet a new group of people you never met before while trying to wrap your mind around the fact your child has cancer and all that that entails, being paired can be the best overwhelming choice you make. These kids will make fun for your child when you can’t. The guys will play Barbies & the girls will play kickball, all while expecting nothing in return. They will be the light during a really tough time.”

“I donʼt think a day has gone by in the last ten years without some type of contact from her organizations. They brought smiles to her face during the hardest days of her life and have brought smiles to ours over all these years. They have cried with us and laughed with us, honored her memory and remembered her fight. There is no amount of words that could fully thank these young people and even still to this day and we pray for years to come”

“4 girls and 4 guys from Sigma Alpha Epilson and Pi Beta Phi would be on their feet with no sleep for 46 hours in memory of our beautiful angel. Throughout the next couple years we stayed part of their family and they continued to support and take care of our family, not only Thon weekend but throughout the year.”

“From the beginning, our Altoona students were extremely caring and supportive, and quickly became members of our family.  They always have encouraging words and genuinely care about how Collin, and the rest of us, are doing.  They have incredible dedication, and work extremely hard all year long to make THON a success.  We always look forward to spending time with them, and I am happy that my kids have such caring role models.”