Many of us do our part for charities.
Sometimes it’s as simple as throwing change into a red kettle, donating food and clothing or attending a fancy dinner where the proceeds go to a worthy organization. For 700 Penn State University students this coming weekend, donating to charity means risking total exhaustion, hallucinations and swollen feet. It is that time of year again when the world’s largest student-run philanthropy will take place in State College. The benefactor of the fundraiser is nearly 100 miles away from the campus — the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. In its 37th year it is easy to take this charity event for granted. We know annually we will see Penn State students at busy midstate intersections, cans in hand, collecting money. Then a few weeks later the “Thon” will take place. The money is all donated to The Four Diamonds Fund, which subsidizes medical, travel and other expenses for families whose children are being treated for cancer at Hershey Medical Center. This year there is concern that the economy might be an unwelcome dance partner at the 46-hour event. Can the students break the $6.6 million record set last year For the last four years donations have been steadily increasing, but this year corporations are generally giving less and many individuals also are saying they are strapped. Fortunately only 8 percent of last year’s Thon total was raised through corporate donations.
We hope there is not a lot of time spent worrying about whether the Penn State Interfraternity/Panhellenic Dance Marathon breaks any record. The real fete is that this fundraiser has continued for nearly four decades.