Impact

Penn State Berks breaks own record with more than $70,000 for THON

Penn State Berks raised a record $70,089.44 for THON, surpassing last year’s total of $50,198.98 through a variety of fundraising events and activities throughout the academic year, and culminating in the 46-hour dance marathon supporting families battling pediatric cancer, held Feb. 21 to Feb. 23 at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park. 

Once again, THON has set a new record, raising $13,343,517.33 overall for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, and earning its name as “the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.” Penn State Berks ranked fourth among all Penn State campuses for fundraising, which began in the fall of 2013 and included fundraising nights at local restaurants, late night skating events at the Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex, a fashion show, blood drives, dances, pie-in-the-face fundraisers and Vera Bradley bingo as well as weekend canning drives throughout the community.

The Berks student dancers included sophomores Angie Koval, Abhar Shah and Shannon Stoltz, who traveled to the Penn State University Park campus with other Berks students who cheered for them and supported them during THON. 

The Berks County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association (PSAA) presented a check for $9,000 to the Berks benefitting THON organization at their dancer send-off. The donation comes from the annual golf outing and the Reading Royals Night, which was sponsored by the Berks County Chapter of the PSAA and the Reading Royals on Jan. 18. Five dollars from every ticket sold through the event website was donated, and the Royals’ players all wore special Penn State Ice Hockey themed jerseys that were autographed and auctioned off after the game.

Short for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, THON is a year-long effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. THON's fundraising helps offset the cost of a child's cancer treatment and helps establish research endowments aimed at increasing the cure rates of pediatric cancer treatments. For more details, visit www.thon.org or http://clubs.psu.edu/berks/thon.

Penn State Berks raised a record $70,089.44 for THON. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated March 6, 2014