As the very best weekend of the year approaches, the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) 2018 preparations are being taken to the next level. THON Committee applications are live on the THON website and the applications are due Friday, Sept. 15.
THON is a yearlong effort to combat pediatric cancer that is culminated in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance Marathon. The THON 2018 weekend will take place from Feb. 16 to 18. The weekend wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of each committee that make it all happen. The 11 different committees make an impact in the community and in the world as they work together to take tangible steps towards a cure in various ways.
To land a spot on a committee, you turn in your application electronically and by hand, have an interview, and wait for a call to hear which committee selected you. The commitment for a THON Committee includes attending a weekly meeting, participating in events throughout the semester, and most likely sharing your time with a group of people who soon become your family away from home.
The people you meet on your committee will not only become some of your best friends at school, but they also will be familiar faces around campus and your primary support system during THON weekend.
“Doing a THON Committee my sophomore year was one of the best decisions I made”, says Matt Pickard, a junior majoring in Supply Chain Management. “The friends I made are still the people I text and hang out with everyday, and the memories we made are still some of the highlights of my year.”
Maddie Anderson, a junior majoring in science with a Biological Sciences and Health Profession Option, shares the same sentiment.
“Being on a committee united me with so many people who are different than me in many ways but share a common goal of making pediatric cancer disappear,” says Anderson. “It was incredibly inspiring and motivating to spend so much time with these humans.”
Each committee serves a different role throughout the year and during THON weekend. Committee descriptions are provided on the application. Whether it is taking photos and videos of live performances on an Entertainment committee, or stretching out your dancer on the floor of the BJC on a Dancer Relations committee, each individual student volunteer has an incredibly significant impact on a child’s life.
“I love THON because it gives a time of relief for the kids and the families, the stress and anxiety fade away and they enjoy the moment in front of them, where kids can actually be kids,” says Courtney Soper, a sophomore majoring in Security and Risk Analysis.
The money raised and the support that THON provides is due to the passion of student volunteers. United youth that contain the same goal in mind are truly unstoppable. So unstoppable that one day cancer will be a thing of the past.
Take this opportunity to bring dreams to life for the most courageous kids in the world and create a light for every family who finds themselves in darkness. Whether you are a freshmen who has never been to THON before, or a senior approaching your final THON as a student, it is never to late to get involved. At the end of the weekend you will look up at that total and know that your work made a difference.
