It's a THONderful World

When I was in middle school, I remember a classmate how he was going to Penn State for the weekend for a dance marathon.  Being a dancer for my entire life, this sounded like an absolute blast and something that I wanted to do, because obviously, it involved dancing.  Little did I know, it was so much more than that.  Fast forward to my freshman year at Penn State.  My WEPO mentor was in charge of THON for the Society of Women Engineers, so of course I joined.  Throughout the year, I became close with our THON families and participated in Canning Weekends, and was so excited for the weekend of THON. THON Weekend 2014 was one of the best weekends of my life. 

Every February at Penn State, students partake in a 46 hour no sitting or sleeping dance marathon that culminates a year long effort to raise money to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund. Throughout the year, there are fundraising events, merchandise sales, canning trips, and other events all to raise money for the kids (FTK).

There are many different ways to get involved in THON.  You can join one of the many committees that volunteer all throughout THON weekend.  They meet one night every week, and participate in countless other events leading up to THON weekend.  Some of the committees are Rules & Regulations, Dancer Relations, Finance, Hospitality, Public Relations, and many others. 

Another way to get involved is to join an organization.  I am part of the Society of Women Engineers and we work hard to raise money all year long, and then support our two dancers during THON Weekend.  It is a great opportunity to not only get involved, but allows you to interact with your organization’s Four Diamonds Families.

If you’re interested in learning more about THON or joining a THON committee, visit www.thon.org! FTK!!

Nicole Lockwood is a junior majoring in Industrial Engineering, and is a Mentor for WEPO'15!