My THON 2015 Experience

Written by Danielle Gallo
Feb 27, 2015
2 min read

Last weekend, (February 20th - 22nd), I attended THON 2015 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. This was my third year attending THON and was certainly another memorable experience. I think most Penn Staters could agree with me when I say that THON is something extrememly difficult to explain because it is not so much as an event as it is an experience.

For those of you who don't know, THON is Penn State's annual fundrasier for pediatric cancer, also known as the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. It is a 46 hour, no sitting, dance marathon that involves a year of fundraising that over 15,000 students participate in every year. All of the proceeds go to the Four Diamonds fun and the Penn State Hershey Medical Center to help families that have been affected by pediatric cancer pay hospital bills. At the end of each THON weekend, the total amount fundraised for that year is announced. This year, Penn State students fundraised $13,026,653.23 for the Four Diamonds Fund. Since THON was founded in 1977, Penn State has donated more than $127 million dollars.

Nothing will ever be as special to me as my first THON experience as a freshman, because it was all so new to me. I was mind-blown by the dedication of the students year-round and the atmosphere during THON weekend. Your feet are swollen, you're running on a couple hours of sleep, and you're starting to get a little delusional, but the students around you and the THON families and children keep you going throughout the weekend. I can never express a greater feeling in the world than seeing the total amount fundrasied at the end of each THON weekend. Seeing the result of a years' worth of fundraising by over 15,000 students all to help such an incredible cause is extrememly gratifying.

This year, I was fortunate enough to be chosen to photograph some of the events occuring throughout THON weekend, from the "floor," which is where the dancers and the THON families spend their time during the weekend. (The stands are just for the supporters cheering them on.) For the first time I was able to interact with THON children and families and listen to their experiences with THON first-hand. I was also able to see THON through the eyes of the dancers. (The dancers are chosen by their organizaions to represent them during THON weekend. They spend all 46 hours on the floor without sleeping or even sitting down.) I now have an entirely new understanding of THON and was very blessed with this opportunity.

I have included some of my favorite photos taken throughout the weekend.