THON Raises $11,696,942.38 For The Kids

Story posted February 23, 2020 in CommRadio, News, THON 2020 by Jake Starr/ComRadio

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa-- This year, THON has raised $11,696,942.38 for the kids, which beats last year’s total of $10.6 million.

The 46-hour dance marathon concluded at 4:00 p.m. ET Sunday, as the dancers sat and the grand total was revealed. Once the dancers took their first break in nearly two days, all eyes were directed towards the stage for the highly anticipated reveal of the total amount of money raised.

THON’s executive directors stood on the stage and signs went up one-by-one to reveal how much money was raised by all the committees, in addition to thousands of volunteers. When the final sign was unveiled, the Bryce Jordan Center erupted one last time as an entire weekend’s worth of events winded down.

It is an incredible accomplishment for all involved, as many have spent countless hours since the beginning of the school year preparing for this moment. All the money raised will go to Four Diamonds at Penn State’s Hershey Children’s Hospital as they continue the fight against childhood cancer.

Since THON began in 1977, it has raised nearly $180 million, and will look to continue to inch closer to $200 million in 2021.

Jake Starr is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jas7954@psu.edu.