Today, July 1, we begin our fundraising efforts for the THON 2025 year. Today we Ignite The Fight against childhood cancer so that someday we will be able to dance in celebration of a cure. 

Ignite The Fight is an annual fundraising and awareness campaign generating excitement and preparedness for the upcoming THON year.

THON volunteers, organizations, and supporters are encouraged to set up or re-activate their DonorDrive accounts so that they may begin fundraising online. You can set up your DonorDrive account here.  

While THON Weekend may still seem like a long time away, now is the perfect time to begin planning your fudraising efforts for the upcoming year! Spread the word through social media and encourage your family and friends to donate. 

THON Weekend will take place from February 21-23, 2025. Let’s join together and Ignite The Fight for THON 2025! 

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®. 

Since the first THON in 1973, there have been thousands of students who have danced in the 46-hour dance marathon. Recently, we had the opportunity to catch up with two Alumni who danced way back in the 1990s and hear about the impact it left on their lives.  

To set the scene, let’s take it back to 1993. The theme was “For All the Right Reasons” and THON took place in the White Building, lasting 48 hours. Dan and Leslie Lill (nee Israel) were seniors at Penn State.

Senior year…the last chance to make all those special memories with the amazing people you’ve met throughout your time in college. Well, Dan and Leslie decided to just do that by dancing together in THON as an Independent Dancer Couple, but also as an actual couple.  

When reflecting on what it meant to dance in THON, the couple said, “It meant so much to us! It was one of the proudest achievements in our lives. To be a part of something so meaningful and helpful is overwhelming. It was a true honor, and we feel so fortunate that we were given that amazing opportunity.”  

Little did Dan and Leslie know this at the time, but this wouldn’t be the last time the two of them would be making memories together at THON.  

Fast forward 30 years, and now they have two children attending Penn State. Andrew, a junior studying marketing is a part of THON as a Donor and Alumni Relations Committee Member, and Jordan, a sophomore studying Biobehavioral Health was a Dancer Relations Committee Member for THON 2023. Through their children being involved in THON, the Lills have gotten to see how THON has evolved since their time at Penn State.  

When asked how they think THON has changed for the better, Dan said, “THON has changed for the better by embracing new ways to reach the network of Donors for support. Many of the old ways of fundraising are no longer the way they were so it’s necessary to capture dollars through other means. It must be working given the results this past year during tighter economic times. We’ll need to continue to be creative to get the outreach for years to come in order to keep raising the bar.” 

Like most who are a part of THON in some way, the Lills’ favorite part of the weekend is Total Reveal at the end.  

Recalling her favorite part of THON Weekend 1993, Leslie said, “It would have to be at the end of the 48 hours when they announced the total that we had raised. To know that what we had just done would result in over a million dollars being raised for the Four Diamonds Fund* to help the kids was so amazing and emotional.”  

Dan and Leslie are both looking forward to Total Reveal again this year whether they attend in person or online. 

The Lills are an excellent example of THON not just being something you do for a weekend in February, but instead something that stays with you for life. 

*Now referred to as Four Diamonds 

THON is the world’s largest student-run philanthropy with over 16,500 student volunteers and of alumni and supporters! Students make year-round efforts to raise money to support children and families impacted by childhood cancer. THON Weekend takes place annually in February where hundreds of students participate in a no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon for 46 hours. However, the THON we know today didn’t become what it is until 35 years after the philanthropy’s start.  

The idea of a dance marathon to raise money for childhood cancer was proposed by IFC president Bill Lear in 1972. The first THON Weekend commenced the following year in 1973. Rather than thousands of students gathering in the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC), 78 students participated in what was called the IFC dance marathon. The volunteers danced in the HUB ballroom for 30 hours and raised about $2,000! THON did not become the official name until 1987, fifteen years after the dance marathons debut.

As THON’s numbers began to grow, some changes had to be made. Four years after the first dance marathon Four Diamonds became the sole beneficiary in 1977. In an effort to accommodate the increasing attendance during the dance marathon weekend, it was moved to the White Building in 1979. Then again to Rec Hall in 1999. Most recently in 2007, THON moved to the BJC and shortened the dance period from 48 hours to 46.  

THON’s continuous growth has allowed for many amazing milestones to be reached! In 1983 students raised six figures for the first time. Then in 1992 the million-dollar mark was reached raising $1,141,145.38. The most recent THON Weekend revealed a total of $16,955,683.63. This philanthropy knows no bounds when it comes to helping Four Diamonds children and their families. THON continues to grow and break new records. Throughout the 50+ years of THONs existence, the yearlong efforts that lead us to our beloved THON Weekend has helped 4,700 families. Despite all the changes through the years one thing has stayed consistent, THON’s mission. THON’s evolution has all been done For The Kids® in effort to help more families so one day we can dance in celebration.