UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Athletics will be involved in the 2021 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), which will be held virtually from 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19 through 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21.
This year's event has been modified to safeguard the health and safety of all Four Diamonds families, participants, dancers, volunteers and spectators during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no in-person component, and there will be no spectators, dancers or participants in the Bryce Jordan Center; all supporters and dancers will instead individually celebrate THON from their own homes. Dancers have been identified and will be asked to take breaks during designated rest hours between midnight and 6 a.m.
All members of the Penn State community, regardless of their location, are invited to join this year's THON Weekend remotely through the official THON livestream, provided by student-run production team 46LIVE.
Members of Penn State's Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) have raised more than $22,000 for THON and is in reach of its goal to raise $30,000 to assist in the fight against pediatric cancer. Since 1998, SAAB members have raised more than $892,000, including $272,179 in the last five years, for the Four Diamonds Fund. This year, Penn State Athletics donated portions of the proceeds of the Beaver Stadium fan cutouts to THON.
In addition to generating financial support for THON, SAAB also provides emotional support throughout the year to its Four Diamonds families – Messina (Isabella) and Buckley (Colton) – and added the Bell (Sawyer) family in 2020-21.
Those wishing to assist in SAAB's fundraising efforts and help a great cause by donating directly to THON can do so by visiting http://bit.ly/21SAABTHON.
Four Penn State student-athletes will represent SAAB as dancers:
- Rachel Rosen (women's lacrosse, Jr., Port Washington, N.Y.)
- Donate to Rachel's fundraising efforts through SAAB: http://bit.ly/21SAABTHON
- Ellie Tiskus (women's swimming & diving, So., Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Donate to Ellie's fundraising efforts: http://bit.ly/TiskusTHON
- Danae Rivers (women's track & field, Sr., Derby, Conn.)
- Donate to Danae's fundraising efforts: http://bit.ly/RiversTHON
- Adam Pilewicz (men's hockey, Sr., Sewickley, Pa.)
- Donate to Adam's fundraising efforts: http://bit.ly/PilewiczTHON
In addition, teams will participate virtually in the Pep Rally with dances or shoutout videos, and student-athletes from numerous teams also will participate in the Athlete Hour. The football program will host a virtual THON Explorers Program Friday evening with 25 THON families.
Several Penn State teams will support THON during competition this weekend by wearing a ribbon or special shoes laces to bring awareness to childhood cancer.
Every school day, 43 children are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer kills more children in the United States than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and pediatric AIDs combined and the cumulative average cost of cancer treatment for one child is $500,000, according to THON.org.
Since 1977, THON has partnered with The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital with one goal in mind: conquering childhood cancer. To date, more than $180 million has been raised by THON, including more than $11.7 million in 2020, and at least 95 percent of the funds raised at THON are donated directly to Four Diamonds.
Each year, more than 400 Penn State student organizations and approximately 16,500 student volunteers dedicate their time to THON, making it the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
Additional information is available in THON's comprehensive spectator guide.