THON Tales 2014: A multimedia blog | Saturday
THON – the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon – Last year the event raised more than $12 million to benefit the families of children with cancer. Each February the dance marathon fills the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park with 15,000 people for 46 hours. These are some of their stories from Saturday. Friday stories here.
Walked in their shoes
Sonya Whitman has battled cancer twice and been victorious on both occasions. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, early in her adolescent life and is now finally cancer free at the age of 20. This was her first experience at THON and she now pursues a career in nursing to help others battle through their illnesses just as her nurses helped her.
~ By Jeremy Meyer
Taking care
Penn State EMS makes sure that everyone who needs care at THON gets care. Penn State EMS and Thon work together to make sure everyone is cared for.
~ By Nasser Monayair
New bracelet system eases lines at BJC
Ashley Hernandez is a member of the Rules and Regulations committee AmERICAn GladiatoR&Rs. She reports from teh Bryce Jordan Center that a process employing scannable bracelets is allowing people to avoid standing in long lines as they wait to enter THON.
~ By Ashley Hernandez
Daily Collegian editor leads THON 2014 coverage
Every person at THON has a purpose. Some dance, others morale and many come to celebrate. But for members of The Daily Collegian on press row, the weekend is far from a break. Collegian Campus Editor Alison Shapiro helps lead the charge with long hours and a positive attitude.
~ By Brittany Horn
Counting the last credited donations for THON 2014
Mia Rendar is a junior Penn State student who is participating in THON for the third year in a row. She has previously served on the club committees and supported the dancers in her committee. This is her first year as a THON captain in finance.
~ by Shantelle Johnson
Virtual student travels to campus for THON
Jake Robatel is a senior of Penn State taking classes online through World Campus. He is a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Penn State. During his junior year, he had to withdraw from the university for personal reasons. He moved to New York City with his brother and began working full time.
Although he does not live at main campus anymore, he said that THON is still a big part of his life and has made plans the past two years to attend the event. He still encourages friends and family to donate to THON and makes whatever donations when he can.
~ by Mike Tori
More than a sub
Holden Farhani is more than a Subway employee. He is a father of three and Penn State alum who is currently a member of the Four Diamonds board. Farhani has been helping with Thon since his days as a student when Thon was in the White Building.
~ By Zachary Lacher
Working the Instagram booth
This afternoon, I worked a shift for the Instagram booth at THON, which granted me floor access. Part of my job was to recruit people to leave the floor for a quick minute to make a quick photo. We asked the people to write a message on a whiteboard to answer the question Who Do You Dance For (#wdydf) at Thon? In the picture above you can see me on the left, THON child Nick Fulton, an eleven-year-old from Elliottsburg, Pa., center, and his parents on the right.
In two days our team posted more than 500 pictures on Instagram using the hashtag #wdydf. You can see highlights from the photo shoot at commedia.psu.edu/news/story/thon-instagram-feed-who-do-you-dance-for-wdydf. All of the #wdydf photos are on a special website at blogs.comm.psu.edu/thon/.
The feeling of being on the floor and not the stands was overwhelming. While working I got to meet more dancers outside of my organization and THON families. This gave me a better grasp of why this is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
~ by Kaidian Gordon
Dot Man
Penn State stands for a many things. THON is one of the biggest. Bret Turner, for THON 2014, is the Weekend Warrior for the Merchandise Committee. Being a junior he has volunteered his time in previous THONs but this year’s is exceptionally special to him.
~ By Derek Herman
Go Big or Go Home
THON is probably the one event at Penn State where the crazier the outfit the better. Freshman Kyle Hardy says he is enjoying his first experience at THON. He went all out for his outfit. Representing the Ohana organization he wearing a bright orange shirt, fairy wings and glowing shoe laces.
~ by Kaidian Gordon
Unattached
What does THON mean to a student that doesn’t attend? Why choose not to participate in what many Penn State students describe as the best time of their Penn State tenure.
~ By Bernard Bennett-Green
Collegian photo editor makes key shots
Leah Eder, a junior majoring in fine arts, manages an eight person staff during THON weekend as the Daily Collegian’s photo editor. Eder is also taking pictures, and shooting from press row managed to make a memorable shot of the Nittany Lion dancing with a Four Diamonds child.
~ By Kristin Stoller
A Feature FTK: THON 2014
Rainier Lopez is a senior broadcast journalism major working on an assignment for his multimedia reporting class. He is doing a feature on his friend Harrison Wieder, who is dancing for Pillar, a THON special interest organization.
~ by Tamara Hall
Mail call
The dancers get a boost early Saturday morning when packages and letters of support are delivered to them at the Bryce Jordan Center.
~ by Ashley Hernandez
Helping to televise THON
Broadcast journalism senior Sam Minnec is part of the student team that is covering THON. They are producing a live broadcast of the event that is being broadcast on campus cable and streamed around the world.
~ by Chelsea Clemens
The THON experience: Jaime Pritzker
There are nine sisters from Delta Gamma sorority dancing in THON this year, five of them as independents. Included in the latter group are best friends Jaime Pritzker and Olivia Peralta.
Pritzker is wearing dancer number 323A. She is filing these video reports from the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center.
~ Jaime Pritzker