State College, PA (AP) – Hundreds of Penn State students have raised almost $11.7 million dollars for pediatric cancer patients in the annual 46-hour dance marathon known as Thon!
The $11,696,942.38 total was announced Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of the Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, billed as the world’s largest student-run philanthropy. Money raised benefits pediatric cancer patients and their families at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
The amount raised this year was more than $1 million over last year’s total. Before this year’s event, officials said the dance marathon had raised more than $168 million since 1977.
Although this year was not quite a record-breaker for THON in general (that came in 2014 with $13 million), it was a record year specifically for donations raised from Penn State DuBois. Before their dancers even went to THON, DuBois raised more than $32,000 to support families of kids battling cancer!
At the end of THON, Penn State DuBois had raised $34,882.78!
