THON ramblings and reflections

By Casey McAlpin on February 21, 2013

When I was deciding which college to attend I knew I wanted to go to a huge football school that was loaded with school spirit. Sometimes we like to think that Penn State is the only school like this but that certainly isn’t true. Learning about THON on my tour of Penn State when I was a senior in high school is what made Penn State stand out for me. From the moment I learned what THON was I knew I wanted to come to Penn State and that I needed to be a part of THON.

 

THON is a 46 hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon in February that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund which provides financial support for the children and families fighting pediatric cancer at Hershey Medical Center. This barely scrapes the surface of what THON means to me. Since I was a freshman I have been a part of THON’s morale committee. It’s a competitive position that is responsible for making sure the dancers stay healthy, motivated, and don’t quit during THON weekend. Each year I become a part of a new morale committee of 33 people that quickly become my family. It’s easy to find best friends on a committee where you all work towards the same goal and all believe in the magic of THON.

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My 2013 Morale Committee

So now that I have finally recovered from THON last weekend (although my voice is still MIA) I have been reflecting on my past four years as a THON volunteer and what it has meant to me. THON has single handedly been the most important thing that I have ever been a part of. THON taught me important leadership, organizational and networking skills. Most importantly though, THON taught me the importance of selflessness and how grateful I should be every single day for the opportunities that I have. Seeing a little bald boy that is fighting cancer, laughing and drenching everyone with a water gun during THON weekend, quickly reminds everyone that we don’t have it too bad. The importance of caring about people other than ourselves is a lesson that is often skipped during the college years but being a part of THON has consistently taught me that lesson over and over again since the day I became a part of the organization.

 

When I talk about THON it usually turns into an endless rambling like this is but this time I actually have a point relevant to Global Studies. When I started looking at colleges I also made sure I would have the opportunity to study abroad, which had always been one of my goals. Sophomore year I found myself ready to pick out my study abroad programs but hesitating on making my final decisions because studying abroad would mean missing THON. I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous, especially to people who have not seen THON or felt the love in the BJC THON weekend, but it was a real concern for me. The special thing about THON is that it is a student-run philanthropy, which means you only have four precious years to be a part of it. I had already spent two years falling in love with THON and studying abroad would be turning my back on the one thing at Penn State that had truly made me a better person.

 

In the end I sucked it up and decided to study abroad for my entire junior year like I had always imagined I would. I wish I could say there was a reason I found the courage to make that leap and go for i,t but usually when I face hard choices I just make a rash decision and hope for the best. Lucky for me, I definitely made the right choice. I spent a semester in Cape Town, South Africa and the following semester in Granada, Spain and had the time of my life. I physically wasn’t at THON and I didn’t get to be on a morale committee that year but I didn’t miss THON. I got to tell people I met from around the world about THON. On February 19, 2012 I sat in the only Spanish café open at midnight, with the Penn Staters I was studying abroad with and all of my other study abroad peers that had fallen in love with THON just by hearing about it, and watched the total be revealed number by number over the live stream. It wasn’t as good as being there but it turns out I got the best of both worlds. I literally got to travel the world and meet people and learn about cultures that I would have never encountered and at the same time I got to tell people about THON and the amazing work we do as Penn State students.

 

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I spent last THON weekend in Cadiz, Spain celebrating Carnival
The Penn Staters made sure to take a diamonds picture in honor of the weekend

Last weekend was my final THON which is why I’m being terribly wordy and nostalgic at the moment. Turns out, it was the best one yet. One of my best friends from abroad danced and I watched him receive inspirational mail from all of our friends in Spain. I met Charles Millard, the founder of the Four Diamonds Fund, and his daughter Stacia. We raised over twelve million dollars which simply proves that hard work and dedication pays off. I got to spend the last four hours of THON with my new friend Nick who was at his first THON and told us over and over again that THON weekend is better than Christmas. I walked away from my last THON, proud that I got to make an impact during my time at Penn State and that I also got to travel the world. Each one of those things alone would have been an accomplishment, but the fact that I got to do both makes me a really lucky person. In retrospect it looks like I really made the most of my time here in Happy Valley.

 

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Meeting Charles Millard at THON

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Spending the end of THON with my committee members and our friend Nick

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THON 2013 total reveal

 Want to see what THON looks like? Check out my favorite promotional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wokgXc5t2qM

Hint: It’s my favorite because I’m in it for approximately two seconds at 0:41. See if you can spot me.

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