“Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Blast off, BJC!  Can you feel the energy?

A few short weeks ago, many of us experienced our first THON.  And if our experiences were at all similar, THON may be the most emotional, awe-inspiring event you in which you have ever participated.

From the second the doors opened to the final few minutes, the Bryce Jordan Center was full of energy, optimism, and hope.  It was incredibly moving to see so many people standing and dancing together in support of the same wonderful cause.  Confession: I teared up a little during every single line dance.

I have followed THON for the past couple years, just watching the last few minutes on the Livestream to see the total, and my high school had its first-ever Mini-THON my senior year.  As soon as I chose Penn State, I knew that I had to get involved, but I had no idea how incredible it would be to actually experience the weekend.  The countless hours that go into fundraising, preparing, and interacting with the families before the event are certainly powerful to witness, but the feeling in the Bryce Jordan Center on THON weekend as a culmination of everyone's hard work, is impossible to describe.

The Four Diamonds--Courage, Wisdom, Honesty, and Strength embody all that THON stands for, and all the qualities that can overcome the terrible disease that cancer is.  In interacting with some of the THON kids, it struck me how much more courage, wisdom, honesty, and strength they had than people three times their age.  Despite the stress and awful circumstances that they must be enduring in their fight against cancer, they are the strongest little warriors I have ever seen.

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others."  In hearing the families speak, none of them ever got caught up on fear, but conveyed messages of hope, recovery, and positivity.  This quote is a perfect representation of why THON, the largest student-run philanthropy, is so successful and strong.  There are so many reasons for these families to be fearful, but their optimism makes us admire their strength, which drives us to take action, which helps families feel more secure, which gives the families hope, which gives the kids courage.  When the kids and families share their courage, there are no boundaries.

This year, THON raised $9,770,332.32 For the Kids.  According to the official THON website, more than $127 million dollars have been raised since pairing with the Four Diamonds.  With over 15,000 student volunteers and more than 400 student organizations who actively fundraise for THON, more than 3,300 families are able to be assisted directly by the Four Diamonds.  Many families never have to see a single bill.

THON weekend made me so proud to be a Penn-Stater.  The sense of community and determination here is unparalleled.  Hopefully, all our efforts this year will have a major impact in helping all the families and the kids to keep fighting so that in the future, we can dance in celebration of a cure.

(One mission, show your diamonds//Every cub a Nittany Lion)