Doing what you love, and doing it for a good cause.That's what students at Penn State University did this past weekend as 700 people participated in the college's annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, also known as THON this past weekend.
It was a marathon indeed! Forty-six hours of nothing but dancing!
The dance marathon tradition started in 1977. Since then, the event has raised more than $114 million, which goes to the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. This year alone, the THON event raised more than $13.3 million, which a record amount! The funds support the fight against childhood cancers.
Despite not sleeping, eating, sitting, or ingesting any kind of caffeine for forty-six hours, the participants in THON all come out with a smile on their face.
Penn State's dance marathon has inspired others to participate in similar activities:
-Last year, 100 schools across Pennsylvania raised more than $2 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. This year, the numbers grew.
-UCLA's version of THON raised more than $3.5 million towards the fight against pediatric AIDS.
Feeling inspired? Start your own dance marathon! Take something you enjoy doing, and turn it into something you can do to help others.
To watch ABC's video on THON, click on this link: www.abcnews.go.com
For more information on Penn State's THON event, click on this link: www.thon.org
Happy dancing!
Miss Tess
tessc@balletpetite.com
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