Penn State’s reputation took a significant hit in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, but there are still some classy and selfless acts going on at the university.
Case in point: the school’s IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.
The annual dance marathon, run by PSU students, was held this past weekend, and the group raised a record $12.374 million that will aid in the fight against pediatric cancer. The total broke the mark of $10.68 million set at last year’s event.
As part of the weekend’s festivities, 28 Thon Make-A-Wish children and their families were invited to the Lasch Football Building (don’t even go there, people), where they were hosted by 70 Nittany Lion football players. The school’s official website wrote that "[h]ead coach Bill O’Brien spoke to the group after it received the facility tour and signed autographs.” Below is a video clip of the team visiting with the Make-A-Wish kids.
The event, which began Friday evening and featured football players among the more than 700 dancers, benefits the Four Diamonds Fund. It was also announced Sunday that, with the money raised this weekend, Thon, as the event is known, has brought in more than $100 million to the fund since 1977.
The money is certainly going toward helping those in need as the Patriot-News writes that "[t]t the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Thon has helped build a children’s hospital, pay the expenses for families of pediatric cancer patients and help pay for cutting-edge research into pediatric cancer.”
Well done again, Penn Staters. Well done.
(Photo credit: Penn State athletics)