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Penn State THON history
Penn State THON company history timeline
First organized in 1973, THON has grown into the largest student-run philanthropy event in the world, with over 15,000 student volunteers dedicating their time and energy to give back to the community.
At Penn State, THON was first proposed by former Interfraternity Council president Bill Lear in 1973.
His parents created the fund in 1973 to support other families who were battling pediatric cancer.
THON was first organized in 1973 by a group of students seeking an opportunity to give back to their community.
The dance marathon was first organized in 1973 by a group of students seeking an opportunity to give back to their community.
In 1977, the Four Diamonds Fund became the beneficiary of THON’s fundraising effort, and they have remained the sole beneficiary since.
Since 1977, THON has delivered over $136 million for children’s cancer care and research at the Penn State Children’s Hospital.
It was in 1977 that the interfraternity and pan-Hellenic (sorority) leadership at Penn State cemented the relationship between the annual winter dance marathon and pediatric cancer care in Hershey.
Since 1977, the event has expanded and been imitated.
Another change in 1979 was that dancers no longer competed against each other.
In 1983, the total fundraising efforts hit six figures for the first time: raising a total of $131,182.
On Sunday, February 16, 1992, shortly after 7 p.m., Overall Chair John Ferenchak took a deep breath and began to announce the grand total, "One million…” The rest of the number was lost in the eruption that shook the White Building.
Since 1993, mini-THON events, mainly held in high schools, have raised an additional $23 million for Four Diamonds.
In 1999, the marathon found a new home in Rec Hall.
Founded in 2007, VALLEY is Penn State's premier student-run life and style magazine.
THON's 35th anniversary, in 2007, centered on the “big move” to its new home in the Bryce Jordan Center.
The previous record of more than $13.3 million was set in 2014.
In a note to the community posted in November 2015, Katie Mailey referred to safety concerns about student, and to increased “reports from both parents and students about volunteers being pressured to fundraise for THON.”
She’s from Hudson, Ohio, an accounting major and executive director of THON 2016. “Are you ready to believe beyond boundaries and conquer childhood cancer?” she asked.
Brady Lucas, a Penn State sophomore and the 2016 THON chair for his fraternity, Phi Kappa Sigma, spoke of his experiences with leukemia as a Four Diamonds child.
During the final 2016 line dance, 10 minutes before THON’s end, there was so much noise and energy, the BJC seats shook.
One of the best weekends of the year has finally arrived: THON 2021! Throughout this weekend, the entire Penn State community will come together to raise money for the fight against childhood cancer.
AcademicsUndergraduateGraduate & Professional SchoolsOnline DegreesGlobal EducationAcademic CollegesCampus LocationsPenn State among top 100 universities in the world in 2022 QS Rankings
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Penn State THON may also be known as or be related to Penn State Dance Marathon and Penn State THON.