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Funds raised will help offset the cost of cancer treatment for pediatric patients.
LEHMAN TWP. – This weekend, students of the Wilkes-Barre campus of Penn State University will join thousands of other Penn Staters to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital to help pediatric cancer patients.
This weekend marks the fourth and final “canning” weekend of this year’s Penn State IFC/PanHellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately referred to as “THON.”
The largest student-run philanthropy in the world, THON holds canning events on designated weekends in October, January and February each year. Funds raised help offset the cost of treatment that insurance doesn’t cover, as well as expenses that a child’s family incurs such as travel, hotel and meals, said Amy Parry, a PSU Wilkes-Barre student and chairwoman of the local campus’ THON committee.
More than $2,000 was raised during the first Dance Marathon, held in 1973 by a small group of Penn State students at the main campus in State College.
During the past 35 years, THON has grown to 15,000 student volunteers and has raised more than $69 million to help more than 2,000 children who have been diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Last year, THON raised more than $7.9 million.
Pointing out that her group from the Wilkes-Barre campus always collects for THON at outside stores such as Walmart, Parry said she will join her fellow students at the Wilkes-Barre and Pittston locations of Walmart as well as Gay’s True Value Hardware in Tunkhannock today and Sunday.
So far this year, Parry’s committee collected about $12,000. “Our goal is to break $15, 000,” she said. “That would triple our total from last year.”
To donate online, visit www.thon.org.