Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon - History

History

Originally, THON was proposed as a way to rebuild the Intrafraternity Council's image, and began as a dance competition. More than $2,000 was raised, and it went to a charity for special needs children, while the couple that raised the most money and completed the thirty hour marathon received $300. The following year, fundraising efforts multiplied, the length of the event was extended to 48 hours, and more than $10,000 was raised for the American Heart Association.

In 1977, a new charity was selected to be the recipient of the money raised by the dance marathon, The Four Diamonds Fund. That year, nearly $29,000 was raised, and in 1978, nearly $53,000 was raised and designated for pediatric leukemia. That year, in a car accident while travelling from Penn State to the Hershey Medical Center to deliver the check for the money raised, several students were injured, and one, Kevin Steinberg, was killed. Today, one THON organizer is recognized each year for outstanding service with the Kevin Steinberg Award. That event sealed the bond between THON and The Four Diamonds Fund — THON has made a pledge that all money raised will be donated to Four Diamonds as long as they continue the fight against pediatric cancer.

In 1979, THON held its Kick-off Dinner for the first time and also moved into a new home: the Mary Beaver White Building. That year, the organization raised $72,132 for the kids. In 1982, Penn State Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti spoke to the dancers about losing his brother, Joey, to leukemia ten years earlier, and the event that year raised more than $95,000, and the following year, the sum of $131,000 was raised. In 1988, nearly $300,000 was raised, and in 1990, THON raised $671,000. That year, the Panhellenic Council became an official co-sponsor, and the IFC Dance Marathon became the IFC / Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Two years later, the 20th anniversary THON passed the million dollar mark. $2.0 million was raised in 1998.

In 1995, the organization chose Stacy Bingler as the first female Overall Chairperson. Two years later, in 1997, the first Family Carnival was held, and the next year, THON was held in the White Building for the very last time. In 1999, the marathon moved to Rec Hall. $3.0 million was raised in 2000, only one year later. In 2006, the previous record of $4.1 million was broken when more than $4.21 million was raised. 2010 marked the fifteenth year Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha were the top money raising organizations, raising more than $308,000 combined and over $1,000,000 in the last four years. In addition, Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha hold the distinction of having the longest consecutive top funding stretch. In 2009, Atlas Benefiting THON became the first independent organization to break the $200,000 mark, raising over $216,000 and being the third overall fundraising organization. Atlas, in 2011, raised $381,884.97, marking the first time in THON history that an independent organization was the top fundraiser. Independent organizations such as Atlas were created for the sole reason of supporting THON. In 2007, THON was moved to the larger Bryce Jordan Center and shortened to 46 hours.

In recent years, with sufficient money to cover treatment costs, THON has shifted its focus to long-term projects. The first such project was the establishment of the Four Diamonds Research Institute at the Penn State Children's Hospital. Two endowed chair positions, complete with lab funding and research scholarships, have now been funded. The original pledge of $5 million for this project was made in 1999 and was to be paid over 5 years, but the organization did it in only two. In 2004, $10 million, to be contributed over six years, was pledged to create a Pediatric Cancer Pavilion at the Hershey Medical Center. While the current facilities are completely modern from a medical point-of-view, treatment areas are scattered all over the hospital, and many of the facilities are not designed for the treatment of pediatric patients. The Pavilion's design will consolidate all of these functions and include design features—like wide hallways for play and water fountains appropriate for a child's height—designed specifically for its young visitors.