Penn State's Dance Marathon, known as THON, is the largest student run philanthropy in the world. It has consistently raised around $10 million while I have been a student here, and I am so happy that it was a part of my college experience for all 4 years. THON lasts 46 hours from 6pm on Friday to 4pm on Sunday, and there is no sitting or sleeping if you are there. It takes place in the Bryce Jordan Center, and is one of the biggest Penn State weekends of the year. There are many ways to be involved in THON. The two main ways that students do THON is through either an org or a committee. Orgs are fundraising groups. Some orgs only exist for the purpose of THON, other orgs exist as an auxiliary part of a different org. For example, the org I am in is Penn State Crew Benefitting THON. Committees, on the other hand, handle all of the organization and execution of this massive event. All 4 of my roommates were on committees this year (3 in operations and 1 in dancer relations). Most orgs as well as some lucky committees get partnered with a Four Diamonds Family. This benefits the family as they get a support team, but also benefits the org as it provides great motivation for fundraising. Lastly, THON has "dancers" who are on the floor for the whole 46 hours. You can get a dancing spot either from being chosen by your org or by entering a lottery to dance independently. I have been involved in Crew's THON org since I joined the team as a freshman. We got partnered with a family, the Crabills, my Sophomore year. It has been so great to be a part of their THON experience. Crew sends two dancers to the floor each year, and I have supported some of my very best friends and teammates through their time dancing. It is a great honor to be chosen to represent an org and dance. This year, my co captain Abby Moyer and myself were selected to dance. Thinking back on THON 2019 it was a total whirlwind, fun, exhausting, and surreal experience. It would be hard for me to write and for you to read just a long essay of how it went, so instead I'll do a variety of numbered lists along with plenty of pictures. Highlights
Ways that I struggled while dancing for 46 hours
Conclusions
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