Penn State Italian Student Society (ISS)- Mini Series

Chapter 2: Sua Bambina, Aleah

Penn State Italian Student Society’s THON chair, Julianna and the rest of the club was so excited to tell me more about their Four Diamonds family. They were paired with their THON child, Aleah, in 2013. The spunky, now fifteen-year-old absolutely loves horses. Every year, the club incorporates her affection for the beautiful animals into their theme for THON. This year their shirts read, “Kicking Cancer and Riding Free”, because Aleah is an avid horseback rider and came up with the slogan herself.

The club with Aleah in the stands at THON 2013, their first THON together.

They do all sorts of activities with Aleah, outside of THON weekend too. Aleah keeps in contact with the group, they text and call each other often. The club plans events to do together all the time such as going ice skating at Pegula Ice Rink, attending Penn State basketball games, taking trips to the Berkey Creamery, and enjoying a nice Italian meal. Aleah’s younger brother’s birthday falls during THON weekend this year, and exciting birthday party plans are in the works. “They are such a wonderful family and we are so glad to be paired with them. We always have a good time together and we love being able to give back to them,” says Julianna. The club are looking forward to spending the weekend with Aleah and the rest of her family.

THON starts tonight at 6 o’clock. Tune into the live stream here. Learn more about Anthony Deferrari and Nicole Ioannou’s experiences at THON 2017, representing the Italian Student Society on the floor for 46 hours in Chapter 3: La Danza Maratona 2017.

Some pictures of club members through the years with Aleah, her brother Ivan, mother Michelle, and her father Ben.

 

 

Leave a Reply