Penn State New Kensington THON dancers Brooke Churma and Alex Pedder team up to flash the traditional Four Diamonds sign at the campus Lion shrine as they get ready “For the Kids.”
Campus prepared to support the students
throughout the 46-hour marathon
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to be over,
it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” - Author Unknown
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- On the set of “Dancing with the Stars,” celebrities are the dancers. On the campus of Penn State New Kensington, dancers are the celebrities.
Brooke Churma, a senior corporate communications major from Kiski Area High School, and Alex Pedder, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Hempfield Area H.S., were selected to represent the campus at THON, a 46-hour, no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon on the campus of Penn State University Park. The two students are THON veterans who played supporting roles a year ago by cheering on the dancers from the stands of the Bryce Jordan Center. Their roles are reversed now, and they will be on the floor as recipients of cheers and inspirational messages.
Officially known as the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, THON is set for Friday to Sunday, Feb. 20 to 22, at the Bryce Jordan Center. The theme of the 43rd edition is “Empower the Dreamers.”
“THON is amazing because it brings such hope and happiness to the families of children who fight for their lives every day,” said Jadyn Perry, who co-chairs the campus THON committee with Lea Long.
Inspiration
Like the dancing celebrities on the ABC-TV show, Churma and Pedder are raising money for their favorite charity, the Four Diamonds Fund at the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. THON’s mission is to defeat pediatric cancer in the world. The campus duo will be dancing for the hopes and dreams of children with cancer, and raising millions of dollars for cancer research. Both have personal reasons for taking up the gauntlet.
“Growing up, I have been impacted by cancer, and I have been involved with many other cancer fundraisers that helped raise money for local cancer organizations, as well as the Children’s Hospital,” said Pedder, a peer tutor for the campus’ Academic and Career Success Center. “THON was the opportunity to be a part of something larger, not only making an impact on the local scale, but also on a state-wide scale.”
Churma’s reasons are as equally compelling. She works at her family-owned store, Smart Form, which retails women’s undergarments. The store, located on 5th Avenue in Pittsburgh near the Consol Energy Center and Chatham Center, focuses on the post-mastectomy end of the undergarment business, as well as day to day undergarments, nursing undergarments, lymphedema supplies and related accessories, such as wigs.
“I see women who have had cancer, what they have to go through, and losing a part of their body,” said Churma, who will earn a bachelor’s degree in May. “I cannot imagine what a little child, who has no idea what's going on, must go through. I just think it's a great cause.”
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Campus THON supporters show their spirit by giving the "For the Kids" sign from the stands to
the 700 dancers on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center.
Preparation
For the past month, Churma, a resident of Apollo, and Pedder, a Greensburg native, have prepared, physically and mentally, for the endurance test. Workouts, regimented sleep schedules and healthy eating are a part of a routine to get them primed for THON weekend.
“I work out every day, and I’m drinking lots of fluids to stay hydrated,’ said Churma, a member of the campus softball team. “I’m sticking to a sleep schedule and making sure that I get at least seven hours a night.”
“To mentally prepare for THON, I am getting to know my dance partner, Brooke, and my DRCM (Dancer Relations Committee Member*) Alicia Thomas,” said Pedder, an avid outdoorsman and president of the campus’ Outdoor Adventure club. “I am keeping stress to a minimum and focusing on the reasons why we THON.”
Selection
After fine-tuning their fundraising acumen, the campus terpsichoreans** are polishing their dancing skills and honing their mental faculties. They will join more than 700 students from the 24 Penn State campuses at the Jordan Center.
According to Perry, an elementary education major from Burrell High School, the number of dancers going to University Park from each campus is based on the amount of money raised by the campus the previous year. Last year, New Kensington students raised $24,000, fourth-best total in campus history. The $52,390 raised in 2011 is the campus standard.
The dancers were chosen by an eight-member interview committee comprised of students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni. The selections were based on participation in campus THON activities and raising at least $1,000 apiece through canning, spaghetti dinners, bingo bashes and other events.
Pedder topped the fundraising charts with $2,556 collected, followed by Churma with $1,120. Both students were adept at canning, which coincidentally, was their favorite fundraising activity. Canning involves standing for hours outside local business and soliciting donations.
“Canning takes a lot of time, and sometimes it can be difficult if we run into another organization (canning that day) or have issues with the store,” said Churma, who is involved in a number of clubs and organizations at the campus. “But I love canning because I met so many wonderful people who were strangers, and they stop and talk and share a bit of their life stories and how THON has affected them. That's my favorite part.”
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Penn State New Kensington Chancellor Kevin Snider regularly supports campus dancers at THON.
Supporting cast
The campus hoofers won’t be left to their own devices once they hit the dance floor. The University Park THON committee assigns each dancer a moraler who attends to their needs during the marathon. Be it food, drink, or inspiration, the moraler's responsibility is to help the dancers get through the event.
Churma knows first-hand the importance of a moraler as she served as one at THON 2014. Her moraler-turned-dancer metamorphosis comes from the perspective of representing two campuses.
“While I was attending classes at UP (University Park), I got involved with the Moralers of THON and was on a wonderful moraler committee,” said Churma. “My job at THON was to take care of a single dancer who is now one of my best friends. I am very lucky to have such a unique experience with THON from a Commonwealth campus*** status and a University Park status.”
In addition to the moralers, the campus is supporting the dancers with about 50 students and friends in the stands who will provide an upbeat atmosphere throughout the marathon. Another group of campus students will lend support by making a day trip by bus on Saturday to the Jordan Center.
Perry and Long, a sophomore business major from Apollo, will supervise the campus’s THON efforts from the stands of the Jordan Center. Surrounded by campus supporters, the co-chairs will develop and organize schedules, and manage shifts and breaks.
A member of the campus committee a year ago, Perry decided to chair the committee this year to become more involved with the fundraising. She and Long oversee the fundraising abilities of 25 active members.
“I decided to take on a chair position because I wanted to raise as much money as possible ‘For the Kids’," said Perry, who has earned Chancellor and Provost**** scholarships. ”I wanted to be able to know that I did all that I could in order to help these kids and families by easing their expenses as much as I could.”
Penn State New Kensington students are avid cheerleaders for the dancers and advocates for the
cause of eliminating pediatric cancer.
By the numbers
The final totals for New Kensington and all the other Penn State units will be announced at the conclusion of the marathon. While the campus goal is still under wraps, Perry said that her committee has already surpassed last year’s total of $24,000.
“We will continue to do some last minute fundraising,” she said.
In the past five years, the New Kensington THON committee has collected $192,000. Since 2002, the total is $284,000 to support pediatric cancer patients, families and researchers, who are working to find better treatments and, ultimately, cures for forms of cancer that afflict children. Approximately 100 new families receive support each year.
The New Kensington dancers will have a grand send-off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, with a campus-wide "pot-luck" dinner in the Conference Center. The participants need to “carbo-load,” and students, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring an assortment of pastas and other high-energy foods to help the foursome boogie all weekend.
THON is believed to be the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. The Four Diamonds Fund benefits pediatric cancer patients, families and researchers who are working to find better treatments and, ultimately, cures for forms of cancer that afflict children. A live webcast of the event can be viewed at http://thon.org/webcast
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Five-year Flashback: Megan Karl, left, and Sarah Calligan, represented the campus as THON dancers
in 2010, raising a then-record, $23,000, Deanna Mazur chaired the campus committee.
Donations
Giving to THON can be made by visiting http://donate.thon.org/
(To credit Penn State New Kensington, donors should go to “General Organizations” and
click the button that designates “New Kensington”)
To RSVP for the THON send-off dinner, contact Lauren Blum, student life coordinator, at 724-334-6063 or ldb14@psu.edu
For more on THON, visit http://www.thon.org/
"On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet."
~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
Ed. Notes
*Dancer Relations Committee Members serves as the liaison to student volunteers selected to be dancers for THON Weekend. The committee ensures the safety and well-being of dancers by coordinating logistical aspects of the pre-THON dancer experience, as well as providing emotional and physical support throughout THON Weekend.
.**In Greek mythology, Terpsichore was the muse of dancing.
***Penn State New Kensington is one of Penn State’s 19 undergraduate campuses. Madlyn Hanes is vice president for commonwealth campuses.
****Chancellor’s and Provost’s awards are $3,000 scholarships renewable for four years.