UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Athletics will again be heavily involved with the 50th IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) held at the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend.
THON's 700+ dancers, including three student-athletes and members of the cheerleading and dance teams, will begin standing at 6 p.m. Friday and not sit down or sleep until Sunday at 4 p.m. to raise awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer in the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
Members of Penn State's Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) have raised more than $40,000 for THON to assist in the fight against pediatric cancer.
In addition to generating financial support for THON, SAAB also provides emotional support to its THON children, Isabella Messina, Colton Buckley and Sawyer Bell, and their families throughout the year.
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/saabTHON.
Three Penn State student-athletes will represent SAAB as dancers:
- Sean Bettenhausen (men's soccer, sophomore, Media, Pa.)
- Owen Elliott (men's soccer, redshirt junior, Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Devon Olive (women's soccer, senior, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Also dancing in THON are Michael McDermott, The Nittany Lion, as well as Lina Alves, Sydney Callenberger, Kaitlin Dabney, Caitlin Hanley, Niko Marsh, Alexa Rosenberger, Danielle Sekelsky, Jillian Smith and Alex Venturi from Penn State Cheerleading. Megan McKeon, Ashley Rossi, Molly Saltzman and Samantha Torres from the Lionettes Dance Team will join them.
In addition, 14 teams will be dancing in the Pep Rally, which is one of the highlight events during THON, and student-athletes from numerous teams also will participate in the Athlete Hour. The football program will host approximately 35 THON families at the Lasch Building, in conjunction with the THON Explorers Program Saturday.
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 $194 million has been raised by THON, including more than $14.5 million in 2022, 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.
This year's THON marks the 15th year of the event in the Bryce Jordan Center, having previously being held in the HUB, White Building and Rec Hall.
Check back Penn State Athletics' social media accounts for additional coverage of SAAB's participation in THON during the weekend.
Students from the College of Communications will again produce a webcast of THON, available at https://thon.org/livestream/
For more information about Dance Marathon, go to www.THON.org.