PSU's THON Ignites Hope, Raises Over $10M To Fight Childhood Cancer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (CBS) - An exhausting but successful weekend in Happy Valley ended with over $10-million raised in the fight to end childhood cancer.
Over 700 students took part in the dancing part of Penn State's THON, nonstop for 46 hours. Senior Maddi Hinchey from Lafayette Hill was one of them.
She spoke with KYW Newsradio right after it was over. She barely had a voice left, but says she didn't even feel tired:
"I think I'm on a THON high right now. It was really awesome weekend of fun and dancing and laughter and I'm just really excited about the total."
That total is $10,045,478.44 to be exact, all going to the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State's children's hospital.
"It's hard to put into words, seeing the (Four Diamond) families surrounding us as that total was raised and knowing we are changing their lives," says junior Haley Staub, who helped organize THON 2017.
This year's theme was "Igniting Hope Within" which Staub says sums up the weekend perfectly:
"What was within the Bryce Jordan Center, we were igniting hope within the families who are being impacted by this disease and the kids who are battling it."
Those families were on hand keeping the students energized throughout the weekend, two days Hinchey will always remember:
"This is probably the most unforgettable weekend of my life. A lot of amazing people, a lot of amazing families, just a lot of fun and a lot of happy, smiling people."
It all began Friday with a surprise performance by Joe Jonas and DNCE and ended Sunday with deafening cheers as the total raised was revealed.
In between, Governor Tom Wolf, Senator Bob Casey and Penn State football coach James Franklin were among the names who made an appearance.
