Many Hearts Find One Home

This weekend (Feb. 16th - 18th) is Penn State's annual 48-hour Dance Marathon, aka THON. The theme this year is Many Hearts, One Home. 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of THON. It is also the first year it is being held in the Bryce Jordan Center to accommodate the growing number of participants and families. For the last several years, it had been held in the smaller campus venue, Rec Hall. The money raised goes to the Four Diamonds Fund, benefiting Penn State Children's Hospital at Hershey Medical Center.

I was extremely fortunate to be a part of THON '99 as a member of the CCSG THON Committee. I worked in communications with the dancers of the University's 19 Commonwealth campuses.

Above is a picture of me at the Four Diamonds Carnival in November 1998. Standing in front of me is Tanner, who was diagnosed with Cancer. Our committee sponsored his family for THON through the Adopt-A-Family program. The carnival was when we got to meet Tanner, his brothers, and their mother for the first time. All the work and time that went into preparing for THON weekend was well worth it.

When THON weekend finally came, each committee member had shifts to cover on the floor, supporting the dancers and having fun with the kids. Nothing could prepare you for the feeling of being on the floor...no matter how many people tell you about it ahead of time. It's just one of those things you have to do for yourself. If I could give you three words to sum up what it's like being on the floor (especially during Family Hour), they'd be FUN, EMOTIONAL, INSPIRATIONAL. THON was an absolutely amazing experience...one that I will never forget.

You can support THON by making a donation. To see what THON is all about, you can view tons of pictures and the live webcast.

THON -- For the Kids...Go State! Beat Cancer!