Ignite The Fight: July 1 

The THON fundraising window begins yearly on July 1, kicking off our efforts for the upcoming year. At this time, volunteers and supporters may set up their DonorDrives and start their fundraising events. 

Theme Reveal: Homecoming Parade 

The highly anticipated Theme Reveal takes place at the Homecoming Parade each fall, where the Executive Committee unveils the theme from their float. The THON theme for each year encapsulates the mission of our community as we continue to grow as an organization. 

THON 5k 

As the temperatures begin to drop, THON’s first major in-person event takes place just outside where dancers will be standing in a few months. The THON 5k is the largest pre-THON event and draws in runners and supporters from across the area. While the headlining event is the race around campus, attendees also enjoy live music, the Line Lance, family stories, and a mini pep-rally.  

Dream Forward and 100 Days ‘Til THON 

By mid-November, excitement for THON Weekend truly begins to build. B The Dream Forward campaign, lasting 17 days, is the largest push in pre-THON Weekend fundraising. Volunteers, donors, alumni, and supporters engage in activities in the State College area and beyond, such as dine-out nights, social media campaigns, trivia nights, and remembrance events. The Dream Forward campaign culminates at the 100 Days ‘Til THON event, which begins the final countdown until THON Weekend. Students celebrate in the HUB with performances from various organizations, a silent disco, hair donations, and the Line Dance. Finally, the Dream Forward fundraising total is revealed! 

Family Carnival and Logo Reveal 

As THON Weekend continues to approach, THON invites Four Diamonds families to State College for a day of games, dancing, and fun in early December. Committees and organizations set up booths for families to enjoy in the Multi-Sport Facility, and organizations and artists perform throughout the day on the main stage. There is even a mini pep rally! At the end of the event, the Executive Committee reveals the THON 2024 promotional video and the THON logo to the crowd. 

THON Showcase 

After students return from Winter Break, the excitement for THON Weekend can be felt across campus. THON’s talented performers have the opportunity to give the THON community a sneak peek at what they have prepared for us THON Weekend at the THON Showcase. Singers, dancers, and musicians perform and help to build excitement for all of the entertainment that we will see in a short time. 

THON Weekend 

It’s finally here. The official start of THON Weekend, the 46-hour no sitting, no sleeping, dance marathon is marked by dancers standing up at 6:00 p.m. Dancers enter the Bryce Jordan Center through a human tunnel, cheered on by fellow THON Volunteers. In the moments before standing, dancers make sure to stretch and get situated before standing for 46 hours. The THON 2024 Executive Committee begins a countdown 10 seconds before the anticipated moment, which is finally met with hugs and celebration. For the next 46 hours, dancers will embark on a journey of strength, courage, honesty, and wisdom as they take a stand against childhood cancer. 

Closer to a Cure Celebration 

After THON Weekend, volunteers and supporters celebrate their efforts at the Closer to a Cure celebration, featuring speakers from throughout the THON community. We reflect on our efforts as an organization and prepare to foster in a new year of fighting childhood cancer, For The Kids®. 

The THON Family Carnival is a highly anticipated event among THON volunteers, providing them with the opportunity to interact with Four Diamonds children and families before THON weekend. 

This year, the event was held on Sunday, December 9 in the White Building. The theme was “Lifetime of Adventure,” encapsulating one of THON’s main goals to provide children with a life full of adventure.  

With roughly two months separating THON Family Carnival from THON weekend, the day provided the perfect reprieve for THON volunteers to interact with the children. The event is an opportunity for Four Diamonds families to spend time with THON volunteers and for volunteers to see their hard work fulfilled by the laughs and smiles of the children.  

THON committees and organizations participating in THON set up booths for the children to play a variety of games, including Jenga, ring toss and craft making. The booths were decorated with different themes as well, such as the jungle, beach and space.   

Across the center of the floor, children had space to play games with THON volunteers. At one point during the day there was even a hula-hoop contest! The crowd was constantly entertained by speakers on stage announcing new activities to ensure all the children and families were included in the fun. 

Activities on stage included family karaoke, last year’s line dance and a THON family speaker. The final activity was a pep-rally, complete with Penn State cheerleaders, the Lionettes and the Nittany Lion.  

The day concluded with the THON 2020 logo reveal – an orange planet with two children standing on the planet’s rings, a design created by Andrea Hinkle to capture the magic of this year’s theme “Journey Together.”      

Written by Jordan Corley 

Content curation by promotions committee members  

Penn State campus erupted in laughter, cheers and smiles on Sunday, Oct. 13 as THON volunteers, Four Diamond Families, students and community members came together in support of THON 5K Presented by PNC participants for their run across campus.  

All runner registration fees went directly to Four Diamonds at the Penn State Children’s Hospital. The money will go towards funding 100% of the patient care cost and fund life-saving research. 

The THON 5K Presented by PNC is the first of many events in the THON year to rally such a large group of passionate people and bring them together in support of THON’s message. 

“[The THON 5K Presented by PNC] brings a start to the THON fundraising year,” gift entry captain Ben Clinker said. “This is the first true event that we have in THON where all the committees are selected, and everyone comes together to support this common cause. It’s an exciting way to go throughout campus to see the runners and enjoy time with the families.” 

This year marked the 19th annual presentation of the THON 5K by PNC, supporting the yearlong efforts of THON to raise funds and awareness of childhood cancer. 

Ryan Bowman, an OPP captain described the event as “an opportunity for Four Diamonds families and organizations to get to know each other and have a fun day.” 

He said the event brings the community together and this year he is especially excited to see the morning unite his fellow committee members.  

Caela Camazine, a senior THON Nation Captain, said she loves seeing how passionate alumni remain towards supporting THON and likened the experience to the creation of a lifelong family of support.  

The annual event provides a variety of opportunities for volunteers and community members to show their support for THON, eliciting excitement from participants for all aspects of the morning. 

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to really put my own blood, sweat, and tears into THON and make a difference,” Michaels, a Penn State student said. 

The Kids Run, a shorter run around campus for children to partake in with their paired organizations is another highly anticipated activity of the event, providing the perfect opportunity for organization members to bond with the children. 

“I can’t wait for the Kids Run because the kids are excited to be here, which makes me super excited, and it’s just great to see everyone happy and having a good time,” Macie Plotkin, a Penn State student said.  

Running towards a cure 

Attendees welcomed Four Diamonds Families with open arms into the space, creating a warm environment to celebrate the children and families able to attend. 

“THON means everything to my family because we are a Four Diamonds family,” Cindy Crimmel, a Four Diamonds Family attending her first THON 5K Presented by PNC said. 

Bereaved THON family Jeff and Tammy Zeigler have been attending the event since 2009 after their daughter passed away. The Zeigler family said the event is the perfect excuse to visit their paired organizations, AGR and OPHIA and to dress up their four dogs. 

The Zeigler dogs, Noodles, Rebel, Peanuts and JJ all wore a handcrafted cape to represent the power rangers, each designed and stitched by Tammy.  

Participants came in a variety of outfits, embracing the fun nature of the event and playful atmosphere with bright colors, costumes and accessories as they ran in the 5K and interacted with children.   

Two participants formerly in the fraternity Alpha Rho Chi dressed up in costume, one as a hot dog and the other as Olaf from the movie Frozen. The former students said they love coming back to campus and felt the THON 5K Presented by PNC provided the perfect opportunity to come back and show their support for THON and their fraternity. 

“[We] enjoy everyone’s community here,” Olaf said. “It’s a pretty cool event.” 

They said they decided to dress up in spirit of Halloween and to stay warm on the brisk Sunday morning.   

Krista and her friends could be seen wearing pom pom headbands and tutus inspired by Krista’s best friend and cancer survivor. 

“It’s all her idea,” Krista said. “She wants to go all out.”  

Another student, Dan Truong, dressed as the Flash was in attendance for the third year in a row. Truong said he was given the opportunity to run in the 5K three years ago and ever since he has been attending as the Flash. 

“The kids who love The Flash and also love superheroes, in general— I do this for them,” Truong said. “It makes them happy. It gives them hope for a better tomorrow.” 

The morning even saw a magician in the crowd. 

Florian Passelaigue, a magic performer, came to the event in support of THON and with the hopes of furthering his chance of perform during THON weekend. 

 “I just like to bring a spark to the eyes of the kids,” Passelaigue said. “That’s what I do. That’s why I perform magic.” 

A family affair 

The morning welcomed the families of many participants and THON volunteers as well, some parents even joining in the run with their children. 

One mother of a student running for her business fraternity decided to run in the 5K despite her lack of running outside of the event. The mother, a Penn State alum, said she wanted to show her support for THON in any way she could, even if it meant adorning her worn out sneakers and running along the sidewalks of State College with her daughter.  

The mother remarked on the incredible progress THON has made since her time at Penn State; the organizations size growing significantly since her involvement with the philanthropy.  

Another mother and Penn State alum attended the 5K for the first time this year, bringing her son with her to run in the race together. The mother said the company she works for was one of the sponsors of the event and she was excited for the opportunity to support THON again. 

This was the first time Gallo participated in the THON 5K Presented by PNC, however, he said he walks his dogs around the stadium often. 

Allen Gallo, father of THON Communications director Olivia Gallo, attended the event with his four puppies, Cooper, Lily, Nellie and Bear. Gallo walked with his daughter and the communications committee during the 5K, handing the leashes to THON alumni volunteers to watch over the dogs. 

Students supporting THON 

All throughout the morning THON volunteers and clubs with THON families could be seen playing with the children; from tag to hopscotch students barely had time to catch their breath between excited children jumping from one activity to the next. 

For senior and Community Outreach Captain Anisha Jobanputra, this was her fourth time attending the event.  

“I volunteer at the THON 5K [Presented by PNC] because it is a really great opportunity for the kids to just have fun and do the fun run,” Jobanputra said. “Also, [it’s important] for the parents to show [the kids] how much they are willing to fight for them by running the 5K, and just to see how much passion everyone has for this organization. 

For other THON volunteers, like sophomore and entertainment committee member Dee Jay, this was his first experience at the THON 5K Presented by PNC. Jay’s role was to engage the crowd and raise excitement for the event. 

As a THON committee member, he said he is most excited “to see what goes on behind the scenes and planning the whole THON weekend.” 

Penn State clubs also made an appearance, some performing throughout the morning and others attending to show their support for THON. 

Zachary Gold, a senior in club gymnastics attended the event with club gymnastics and performed a routine with the group early in the morning. 

“I am not from Pennsylvania, so THON was something I knew nothing about growing up but getting here and being involved I have really fallen in love with everything,” Gold said. “Especially taking care of our kids and families, and it is just a great time to bring everyone together and be happy.” 

Another organization in attendance was the Lionettes, members both performing for attendees and running in the 5K. 

“We are involved in many different ways, usually we perform at a lot of [THON] events,” Ariana Ibelli, a junior in the Lionettes said. “We are also considered an organization, so we fundraise for THON and we have two THON families.” 

And of course, students, volunteers, family members and community participants gathered underneath the blue and white balloon arches promptly at 11:00 a.m. in anticipation for the beginning of the run. 

“I am most looking forward to running the 5K and then seeing our THON families after,” Bridget Foresman, a junior participating in the THON 5K Presented by PNC for the first time said. “I just like the idea that we are all working together and how we are a huge school uniting towards one cause.” 

Peter Michaels, THON Chair of the Business and Society House, said he has been involved with THON since his freshman year at Penn State.  

“As a freshman, the first thing I wanted to get involved with is THON,” Michaels said. “It’s such a great chance to impact so many people’s lives, and I wouldn’t want to do it any other way here at Penn State.”