It’s here, that time for a wonderful, magical weekend when everyone puts aside their differences and truly unites for a common cause. It’s the annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon Weekend that benefits the Four Diamonds Fund to fight pediatric cancer, and it’s been going on since 1973. It is the world’s largest student-run philanthropy and a source of pride for all Penn Staters. Regardless of where you live, and even if you didn’t attend Penn State, the mission of THON resonates with all of us.
Many of us have THON stories and memories, and that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always end the way we hope, but it does remind us that when we fight together for a great cause we can make an amazing impact on the lives of thousands of children and their families, and in the process enhance our own lives as well. The life lessons learned from THON last forever.
While I won’t be there in person this year, my own THON story continues in several ways. The easiest way? As a donor, sponsoring friends of our youngest son Ryan, who volunteered for THON himself in his previous three spring semesters at Penn State before graduating early this December. I sense he is genuinely disappointed he cannot be there in person to assist, partake, cheer on and enjoy the spirit of THON.
So, Ryan sent heartfelt, handwritten notes to his friends who are dancing. That’s right, handwritten notes! Not your basic lazy person’s text or Instagram chat message, but a pen-to-paper, old-fashioned note with a stamp to his best friends who will be out on the dance floor for 46 hours. My wife, Heidi, and I added words of encouragement as well for these selfless young people who are all-in for this great cause. So, we hope you will join us as we send our best wishes to Sydney, Ainsley, Jess, Marty and Susser, and all the students as they dance “For The Kids.”
This past Sunday, Heidi and I joined other members of the Penn State Alumni Association Low Country Chapter for the 16th Annual Okatie Ale House Super Bowl Sunday 5k Run, Walk & Kids Fun Run that raises funds for THON. The main sponsor, Okatie Ale House, is owned and operated by Virginia and Tim O’Gorman. Virginia is a Penn State alum and, along with a host of volunteers from the local PSAA chapter, pulled off another successful THON-themed event to help kids 700 miles to our north. There were Penn State alumni, their spouses, their children, parents of Penn Staters, friends of Penn State and people who just came to run.
The “race” began in a light rain but finished with the sun shining. I don’t want to mislead anyone: while some runners took the race very seriously, I was not a real competitor but simply a participant in support of the cause. I didn’t even run; I walked! Heck, my wife finished well ahead of me as I had a great walk sharing old Penn State stories with fellow alums Ron Greiner and Doug Hugo.
Ron Greiner, originally from Syracuse, New York, earned a master’s degree in meteorology and is a big fan of Penn State athletics. Doug Hugo earned his degree in business logistics (known today as supply chain) and we shared fond memories of the late great legendary supply chain professor Dr. John Coyle, who Doug credited with changing his life. We were so slow, in fact, that we made sure we crossed the finish line together, arms raised in a dead heat for last place!
After the race ended, we gathered inside the Okatie Ale House (one of the usual meeting places to watch televised Penn State sports) for the awards ceremony. The master of ceremonies, Tim O’Gorman, introduced me to give the crowd my perspective on the importance of THON.
After a few general statistics for the newbies in the audience, I jumped right into my favorite personal memories of THON. Penn State hockey began a tradition, started years ago when we were the Icers, of working with a THON child and family. In 2001, a young State College boy named Matt Seybert was battling leukemia and connected with several Icer players through a student THON volunteer named Jamie Miller. Instantly, Matt became a part of the “Icer family,” and it started a friendship between Matt and his family and our players and staff that remains to this day.
I told the crowd how Matt defeated his cancer twice, and in the process gained a second family in the form of the Penn State hockey team. In 2007, I was asked to deliver the kickoff speech for THON at the Bryce Jordan Center. I began to describe our team’s relationship with Matt when I told the crowd it would be better to hear it right from Matt himself and I asked him to join me on the stage. Unrehearsed, Matt ran onto the stage in his Icer jersey and jumped into my arms. It brought down the house as a now 16-year-old Matt grabbed the microphone and fired up over 10,000 cheering dancers and supporters at the BJC.
I concluded my brief talk with a reminder of the importance of the work that all the volunteers, behind the scenes workers, sponsors, and donors do “For The Kids” including the event hosted way down here in the Low Country of South Carolina. After my talk, the awards were given out to people who actually ran the race, and we enjoyed the company of alumni and friends who hopefully gained a greater insight into the world of THON. One of the runners was former PSU men’s basketball assistant coach Chuck Swenson, who took a moment to share his own THON experiences that drove home the significance of the sacrifices everyone was making for this great cause.
THON truly is all that is good in people and shows what we can do when we put our minds, bodies and souls toward a common goal.
So please take a moment to click here and make a gift. If you already gave, thank you. Now make another gift! After all, it’s for THON, it’s for the kids, and it’s forever.
