THON:
"Every school day, 46 children in America are diagnosed with cancer. At Penn State University, 15,000 students are committed to making a difference in the lives of these children."
The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) is the world's largest student run philanthropy in the world. THON is a year long fundraising event benefiting the Four Diamonds Fund. Located at the Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, PA, the fund's ultimate goal is to find a cure for childhood cancer. The fundraising year ends with a no sitting, no sleeping, 48 hour dance marathon held every February. Over 700 students dance in THON each year with the support of thousands of volunteers, companies, and student organizations. All of the money raised for THON is donated to the Four Diamonds Fund, which not only supplies financial support for surgeries, gas, hotels, and anything else insurance might not cover, but it provides emotional support for children and their families with pediatric cancer. Many organizations adopt a family and are able to provide emotional support for them. We were fortunate enough to be one of those organizations have an amazing THON child whose name is Bryan. Over the past 30 years, the students of THON have raised over $35 million and helped thousands of children like Bryan and their families fight pediatric cancer. This year USITT@PSU has continued involvement in THON through the School of Theatre.
THON is not just about the millions of dollars that help the families financially. It is about the 48 hours spent in the Bryce Jordan Center, when many kids get to play with all the "big kids" and just be kids, squirting water guns, getting piggy back rides, doing craft projects, and feeling the love and support of 15,000 or more students that fill the Bryce Jordan Center. THON will be held February 20-22 in the Bryce Jordan Center in 2009!
For more information or to find out how to donate to the Penn State Dance Marathon, visit their website at www.thon.org.
Behind the Scenes
In 2006-2007, USITT@PSU has took on another philanthropic venture. Our president, John Jacobsen, felt that it would benefit the future of our members to become invested in a charity that is related to our future occupations and the body agreed. Behind the Scenes is a charity that benefits ill or injured entertainment technology technicians who are otherwise unable to afford their living expenses. Behind the Scenes is sponsored by the ESTA Foundation, which was created in 2005 in order to build and support educational and charitable causes in the entertainment technology industry. Behind the Scenes gives grants to individuals in our industry who are stricken with crisis, and lessens their financial burden. Behind the Scenes is attempting to raise a five million dollar endowment that should be able to help many industry members in the future. USITT@PSU is proud to be part of this effort. We have attempted to raise money at all of our shows, either by simply placing a can out at concessions, or our more popular "Penny for a Pee" campaign during a production of "Urinetown" and our gift basket raffles. Additionally, USITT@PSU has agreed to match all public donations before they are contributed to Behind the Scenes. Behind the Scenes is our newest charitable activity, and we are quite proud of our progress. To get more information about Behind the Scenes or to make a donation, you can visit their website at www.estafoundation.org/bts.htm.