UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) will be held from 6 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
All money raised through THON benefits the care of pediatric cancer patients through The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Anyone unable to travel to Bryce Jordan Center for THON can watch the event live online. Since THON partnered with The Four Diamonds Fund in 1977, more than $40 million has been raised for pediatric cancer patients and their families who are treated at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
— Penn State Live will follow progress of THON through the lens of student photojournalists, who will capture images on the dance floor and behind the scenes. Visit here for updates during and after THON 2007.
— Student Lion Line callers will be contacting former THON participants and previous THON donors in an effort to solicit additional gifts. In each of the past two years, Lion Line callers have raised more than $100,000 as part of the overall THON total.
“Starting Thursday evening, and continuing through our regular afternoon and evening calling hours until around 7 p.m. Sunday, all Lion Line resources will be devoted to fund-raising for THON,” said Michael Cipriani, director of Lion Line, in the Office of University Development. “We put up special decorations and try to capture the energy and fun of THON at Lion Line, and really make it an event.”
About 75 students are expected to serve as Lion Line callers this weekend. Some of them also participate as support staff for THON dancers, and make calls at Lion Line between their shifts at the Jordan Center.
— For the third consecutive year, Information Technology Services, WPSU and the College of Communications will collaborate with the IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon to provide a live videocast of THON 2007 on Feb. 16, 17 and 18. This partnership will make THON available via a high-bandwidth multicast throughout the Penn State and Internet2 networks — providing an opportunity for students, faculty and staff across the University system, as well as online viewers worldwide, to view and participate in the event in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. The videocast will be available via low-bandwidth Webcasts, which can be viewed almost anywhere on the Internet, and through WPSU’s video feed on the University Park campus cable channel 9.
— Two blood drives and a bone marrow registry will be held at the Intramural Building during THON weekend. Each blood donor will receive a Red Cross/THON T-shirt, and the Red Cross will donate $2 to THON for each unit of blood collected. Registry with the National Marrow Donor Program only requires a cheek swab. Details can be found online.
