Dance 4 THON to Take Hiatus, Return in September

This will be the last post on Dance 4 THON until next September.

That is when THON will reboot itself with fundraising events and with events for THON children.

Because this will be this blog’s last post for the next four months, I wanted to tell you about how I learned about THON and what THON means to THON volunteers. This will hopefully interest you and serve as an introduction to new visitors to the blog.

On Feb. 25, 2010, I was the managing editor of the Behrend Beacon. I was in charge of all of the newspaper’s content, and our lead story about 2010’s THON weekend wasn’t submitted by the reporter assigned to write the story.

I met with Molly Thomas, who was Behrend’s 2010 THON chair, at 10 p.m. to briefly interview her. What was supposed to be a five-minute interview turned into an hour-long conversation.

I left Thomas’ office shaken.

Her vivid recollection of THON weekend gave me a genuine interest in THON.  Thomas and I stayed in contact, because I wanted to get involved in THON at the start of the next school.

Unfortunately, I had to take a year off of school to resolve some health issues, and I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to return to Penn State to contribute to THON.

Three months ago, I fulfilled the commitment I told Thomas I would make and joined THON.

I anxiously walked into my first THON meeting with New Kensington THON. Around 50 students gathered for the meeting and watched Andrew Holodnik dance to “Jump Around.” For the next hour, the atmosphere in the room was electrifying, as New Kensington’s chairs spoke about THON and their plans for the semester.

Three months later, I’m extremely thankful for the opportunities that THON presents to both Four Diamonds children and to THON volunteers.

THON is source of ongoing support and friendship for children with cancer.

THON gives its volunteers a purpose we’ve probably never experienced before.

The average Penn State student goes to school expecting to learn, make great friends and to attend a few football games.

Then, the average Penn State student learns about THON and gets more than they ever bargained for at Penn State. THON volunteers get to make a difference in the world long before a diploma is in their hands.

More importantly, THON volunteers get to change a child’s life every day.