Will PSU marathon raise >$4 mill this yr?

[LionTamer]

Well, boys and girls, it's Dance Marathon Weekend, otherwise known as "Thon" at Penn State.

48 hours, 800 dancers, and a goal of topping last year's $4.1 million dollar total, all to go to The Four Diamonds Fund for pediatric cancer at the Hershey Medical Center (treatment, family aid, and now also a whole new pavilion at the hospital just for pediatric cancer)

Participants represent all facets of campus life, but it was started by and derives its strength from Penn State's Greeks

Good luck to all the dancers, and to the "Four Diamonds Fund" families they support!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_State_Dance_Marathon

[KSigkid]

Good luck to anyone here participating; that would be great to raise that much money for charity. I didn't realize they did so well so consistently with the Marathon at Penn State.

[jitterbug13]

Good Luck with Dance Marathon at Penn State, Univ. of S.C. and all over!

[A Random DphiE]

GOOD LUCK to all involved...

i was involved in dance marathon at fiu for four year and i can't even IMAGINE it ever attianing 'THON levels!! perhaps i'll make it a point to drop by next year!

[blueGBI]

This is the first year I'm not directly involved at all. I do know that they opened online donating for this years THON and next year, THON is in the Bryce Jordan Center (basketball arena)


Some lyrics from the 2005 line dance:


Whooooo-ooooh! P-S-U!
Whooooo-ooooh! White and Blue!
Marathon 2005
Dance to keep the hope alive
FTK, 48, Let's Go State!


Courage
Wisdom
Find a cure, no time to wait, We will dominate!
Honesty
Strength UH!
On our feet, two days straight
WE ARE PENN STATE

Embrace their dreams!
Go Four diamonds!
Share tomorrow!
Lets go lions!

[PSUSigKap]

Thon is such a fun time!!! Good luck to everyone. Hopefully they'll be able to beat last years record!

[SOPi_Jawbreaker]

Answer: YES!!!!!!!!!

$4,214,748.18

[LionTamer]

Dammit SOP - you beat me to it!

Did you say

$4,214,748.18 ?? Wow!!!!!

Congratulations to everyone involved, and a shout out to all the Greeks at PSU!

[jitterbug13]

Congrats to everyone involved!!

[kddani]

Press coverage: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06051/658246.stm

[Sister Havana]

That is AWESOME! Great job all around!

[gamma_girl52]

Originally posted by Lilac0427
I love Penn State. Congratulations to everyone involved, especially ZTA/ATO for being top money raisers for an 11th year in a row with over $300,000, Phi Gamma Nu 1st place independant orgs with over $61,000, AOII/Acacia for 1st place spirit points for greek orgs, and Gamma Sig/TDX for 1st place spirit non greek orgs!

Go Gamma Sig!! Tau Chapter is doing it big.

[LionTamer]

Thanks for the link to the Post-Gazette, kddani! GREAT story - not like some of the drier stuff I've seen elsewhere.

Brought a tear to the eye!

"They stared up toward a stage and saw the children who are beneficiaries of The Four Diamonds Fund, the organization supported by THON that helps to cover unpaid medical expenses for pediatric cancer victims. The children were the reason for the aching feet and knees, and with the 48-hour marathon complete, the children held the tangible result of the dancers' commitment on 11 poster boards, with numbers drawn on each. Slowly and deliberately, they held up each number, revealing the total raised this year: a THON record $4.2 million."

"A speech by Katie Austin -- a high school senior, cancer survivor and Four Diamonds beneficiary -- provided particular poignancy. To a crowd of at least 5,000 dancers and observers, she told her story of leukemia diagnosis at 12, the remission of her illness thanks to THON and her plans for a future she wouldn't have otherwise seen. "When it came time ... to think about college," she began, her sobs oddly making her voice more authoritative, 'I only applied to one school.'"

[PSUSigKap]

WE ARE!!!! PENN STATE!!!!! Congrats to everyone involved. Awesome job!

[PhoenixAzul]

Hell yes Pennsylvania!! Good job to all involved .