Dance-a-thon how does it work?

[NittanyLionSigA]

I'm glad to see some support for Penn State THON! I danced this February - 46 hours of no sleeping, no sitting and it was the craziest, most grueling experience of my life. I can't say I was super happy during every minute but man... $7.5 million in a recession, it definitely makes you feel like college kids really can have an impact on so many lives.

[als463]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

The Penn State Dance Marathon is an unbelievably amazing thing to experience. There's nothing like the THON!!!!

Nittanyalum-I am going to have to agree with you 100% because THON is what makes me PROUD to be a Penn Stater...and Nittany Love to all my fellow Penn Staters on this board!!!

I think one of the amazing things about THON is that, aside from being the largest student run philanthropy in the world (raising about 7.4 million this year), it gets EVERYONE involved! Although it was started by the Greeks, EVERYONE gets a chance to be a major part of the event! Student athletes come out to meet with people, families show up with their THON children, the branch campuses of Penn State get involved, etc. It's a great idea to get EVERYONE on campus involved that you can think of! When people feel like they have a purpose-they are more than willing to help!

Good Luck with the Dance Marathon because it's very rewarding! Thanks for showing others how much Greeks can really make a difference!

Our small campus just had our first dance marathon. It didn't start as a greek event. We had two girls who brought the idea to our Americorps Vista. The first thing you really need is a core interest group to help you get support. Try looking at the Children's Miracle Network to find the closest children's hospital. At their website, they should have a contact for these type of events. They can help you from there. Getting a faculty adviser on board is key. Once you establish the contact, you'll be able to start brainstorming for fundraisers and PR ideas. It's a lot of work, but our campus of appx 1000 people was able to raise over $4000. It's not much compared to PSU, but every dollar helps. Good luck!