Friday, March 31, 2017

We Are the World

Today is the first ever post for the We Are the World Blogfest. A group of bloggers will share links to stories telling the positive tales of human behavior that are so often ignored or overlooked. It's easy to hear lots of bad news and wonder how our species has managed to survive. Today is a feel-good day.

If you're been a frequent visitor to my blog, you know I am a long time supporter of Penn State Thon. This 46 hour dance-a-thon is the largest Student-Run Philanthropy in the world. They not only raise money on Thon weekend every year, but all year long. Dozens of local high school have joined them and have their own Thon fundraisers that run for 12 hours.

What does Thon do with the money they raise? They work in cooperation with Hershey Medical Center's pediatric cancer center. Thon guarantees that parents will incur no expenses while their child is receiving medical treatment at the Hershey Medical Center. They pay for any medicine, hospital stay, and any medical expense until treatment is concluded. We all know someone who has fought cancer. The price of care is staggering. Thon makes sure the one thing parents and their sick child do not have to worry about is the cost of medicine.

The students do everything for Thon. They put so much heart into this event and this fundraiser. Ask a Penn State alumni about Thon, and you will get a taste of how it has touched their lives. And they've been doing this for 40 years.

Lots of people have heard of Penn State's recent infamy because of the child abuse scandal connected to football coaches. But Thon is what people should think of when they think of Penn State. In 2017, they raised $10,045,478.44 to pay for cancer treatments. Go, Nittany Lions.

21 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ten million is a lot. They continue that tradition for another forty years and it will be all people remember Penn State for.

Maria Zannini said...

Good on Penn State. So sad the media focuses on the evil things and not the good Penn has done.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Those students are just as blessed I'm sure.

Ann Bennett said...

That is good to hear. Having family with medical crisis these last ten years, the cost is incredible. We have been lucky in having insurance and a small cushion. I can't imagine how it would be for a young family with little resources. For my sister's stroke, we received bills from bill collectors before some of the ambulance companies. It's a cold world out there. Good for the thon.

Penelope Potty Snooper said...

I too volunteer with a charity that provides free accommodation to underprivileged children undergoing medical treatment in rural India and who have to come to the cities for long term treatment. It is organisations like these that make medical treatment within the reach of many who would otherwise have been left helpless

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - that's an amazing objective and what a fantastic achievement ... $10 million and upwards and going strong ... oh great I loved learning about Penn's Thon ... the beneficiaries must be so relieved at the times of their dire stress... congratulations to so many ... cheers Hilary

Pat Hatt said...

Wow, that is a lot indeed. Awesome of them to do. Should surely be what they are synonymous with.

nashvillecats2 said...

Excellent post with some excellent news.

Yvonne.

J E Oneil said...

Maybe they can get rid of the football program and focus on the dancing.

LD Masterson said...

I love a blogfest focusing on good things. We need to do more of that. Kudos to the Penn State students for their devotion to children with cancer.

betty said...

Oh my gosh, that is an impressive amount. I had not hear of it; glad you featured it today as part of this blogfest!

betty

mshatch said...

Wow, that's a ton of money! And I too like the idea of a good things blogfest! We could all use more good news I think.

Deborah Weber said...

That's a wonderful example of feel-good philanthropy. An amazing amount of money raised and lots of dancing - can't beat that!

messymimi said...

Good for them!

Juneta key said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Juneta key said...

Makes you want to cheer. Thanks for sharing that.
' Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Michelle Wallace said...

Wow! Ten million is a lot of money. This is a great initiative.
It has been SO uplifting to read all the WATWB posts! We need this feel-good day to rejuvenate our spirits that take a beating from all the negative stories that flourish on social media.
Thanks, Susan!

simonfalk28 said...

What a fabulous cause and a successful fundraiser. Let's hope it keeps going for a long time yet. Thanks for joining our Blogfest �� Simon’s Still Stanza #WATWB

Nilanjana Bose said...

The media always focus on the sensational and salacious - clickbait and circulation. That's a huge sum of money, and more important a lot of families assisted. I'm sure those families will always remember Penn State fondly and speak favourably of it no matter what negativity is circulated by the media. Thanks so much for sharing this story. Truly feel good!

The Happy Whisk said...

"Thon guarantees that parents will incur no expenses while their child is receiving medical treatment at the Hershey Medical Center. They pay for any medicine, hospital stay, and any medical expense until treatment is concluded."

Absolutely, wow.

Elizabeth said...

That is awesome! And those parents and cancer patients need all the help they can get. It's great to hear some positivity for a change :)