Penn State Students Raise $7 Million Dancing for 46 Hours

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - More than 700 Penn State students stood on their feet for 46 hours this past weekend in the Bryce Jordan Center and raised $7,838,054.36 for children with cancer.

THON is Penn State University's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, the world's largest student-run philanthropy. A year of fundraising culminates in the 46-hour dance marathon and proceeds are then donated to The Four Diamonds Fund to help find a cure for pediatric cancer.

THON 2010 began at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, and ended at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21. This year's THON total surpassed last year's record by more than $345,000 .

Dancer Katy Poole said she still felt awesome at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, even though she had been on her feet for more than 42 hours.

“My lowest point was after I forgot to eat a meal...I thought I wasn't hungry,” Poole, a junior kinesiology major, said. Poole was one of 10 dancers for the Springfield philanthropic group, and said that once THON ended, it would be a “toss-up” between showering or sleeping.

During THON, dancers must remain standing the entire time. They are encouraged to give up caffeine three weeks prior to THON, and are not permitted to know the time during the dance marathon in order to keep their spirits lifted. More than 2,000 children and families have been assisted by THON over the years, and those currently being helped often join the students in the stands or on the dance floor throughout the weekend.

Dancers were aided by more than 15,000 student volunteers, many of whom served as Moralers to help keep the dancers motivated and energized. Student organizations and family members also stayed the weekend or came in shifts to ensure there were always people to cheer on their dancers.

THON had plenty of action on the dance floor to keep the dancers awake and moving, from giant games of Jenga to baby powder slip n' slides and water gun battles. There was also the popular Line Dance , performed every hour with easy-to-follow dance moves and lyrics based on popular events from the past year.

THON was first held on Feb. 2, 1973 , with a total of 39 dancers who danced for 30 hours. They raised more than $2,000, which was donated to the Butler County Association for Retarded Children. The following year, the dance marathon was increased to 48 hours and raised $10,825 for the American Heart Association. The event was later decreased to 46 hours.

In 1977, THON donated $28,685 to The Four Diamonds Fund and has continued to donate to The Fund since then. The Four Diamonds Fund was founded in honor of Christopher Millard, a 14-year-old boy who fought against cancer for three years before dying in 1972. During his struggle, Christopher wrote a story about a knight, Sir Millard, whose quest was a “symbolic description of his fight against the evil and unpredictable cancer.”

Sir Millard's four diamonds – one each for courage, wisdom, honesty and strength – have since become a symbol of THON.

You can read hourly coverage of the event on the Daily Collegian student newspaper THON blog .

Brittany Stoner is a Penn State University sophomore, majoring in Print Journalism and Spanish.