UPPER BURRELL, Pa. — The THON committee at Penn State New Kensington, headed by juniors Shannon Josefoski and Shawna Fluhme, raised $17,099 for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon that benefits the Four Diamonds Fund and the fight against pediatric cancer. The total is the seventh-best in campus history.
“THON 2016 was a challenging one across the board,” said Lauren Blum, assistant to the director of student affairs and adviser to the THON committee. “We had some crazy ups and downs with programs canceled and changed for reasons out of our control. But through it all our students stayed resilient.”
The two New Kensington campus student dancers — Wati Kumwenda of Malawi in southeast Africa and Ben Lesko of New Kensington — joined more than 700 dancers from across the University for the 46-hour event, Feb. 19 to 21, in the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park.
“It was fantastic, and people were so lively and friendly,” said Kumwenda, a second-year biomedical engineering technology major. “Music was always playing and time seemed to move really quickly.”
After playing a supporting role in the stands last year for campus dancers Brooke Churma and Alex Pedder, Lesko got a new perspective on THON.
“It was a completely different experience,” Lesko said. “Just looking up, seeing all the support, colors and smiles just was amazing.”
The Four Diamonds Fund serves a dual role — supporting families financially during treatment and funding cancer research. The children and families joined the dancers on the floor, playing games and pulling pranks. Squirt gun battles are a tradition, and Lesko summoned his inner Wyatt Earp at the O.K. Corral.
“I carried a water gun around the entire weekend, making me a constant target,” Lesko said. “Once the kids see a water gun, it's game on. So that was a lot of fun.”
Kumwenda befriended 8-year-old Emily, who she had seen dance on the stage during the kids show. Like Kumwenda, Emily and her mother were THON rookies and loving the experience. Emily danced with her new friend and then jumped in her mother’s arms.
“Emily had no hair because she was going through treatment, but she had the biggest, most beautiful smile,” Kumwenda said. “Her mom cradled her tenderly. I could tell mom was exhausted but happy that her little girl was enjoying herself.”
The New Kensington dancers did not go at it alone. The University Park THON committee assigned each dancer a moraler who attended to their needs during the marathon. Be it food, drink or inspiration, the moraler's responsibility is to help the dancers get through the event. In addition, a New Kensington posse was on the floor and in the stands, ready to cheer on the campus hoofers and provide moral support.
“There were a couple of moments when the whole not sleeping thing started to catch up with us,” Kumwenda said. “But it was almost too perfectly timed as our friends and supporters from the campus would come down to the dance floor to hype us. It was just perfect.”
Fluhme, a business management major from Plum High School, and Josefoski, a business marketing major from Highlands High School, supervised the campus’ THON efforts at University Park. They developed and organized schedules and managed shifts and breaks.
“We had a wonderful THON committee this year, and I am so proud of everything they were able to do,” Blum said. “We are so proud of everyone’s hard work and dedication to such a great cause, and they really showcased our campus well. Most importantly, we had two dancers who dedicated so much of themselves to stand for 46 hours for the cause.”
In the past five years, the New Kensington THON committees have collected more than $210,000. Since 2002, campus students have raised $315,000. Kelly Sieja, who earned a bachelor’s degree in applied psychology from the campus, chaired the committee that set the record of $53,000 in 2011. The second-best total, $50,000, was secured a year later under the direction of Lauren Richards, an alumna of the campus’ information sciences and technology program.
Overall, THON raised nearly $10 million for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. Researchers at the hospital are working to find better treatments and, ultimately, cures for forms of cancer that afflict children. Approximately 100 new families receive support each year.
First held in 1973, THON has partnered with the Four Diamonds Fund since 1977 and in that time has raised approximately $137 million FTK — "For The Kids." More than 15,000 students participated in making THON 2016 happen, including the thousands of students who helped them raise funds throughout the year and thousands more who volunteered during THON weekend.
For more on THON, visit http://www.thon.org/.
For a history of campus dancers and co-chairs, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/46460.htm.