THON Gets Nod From Unlikely Source

(Photo courtesy of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon; inset photo courtesy of Kim Kardashian West)

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THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world -- which boasts of 46 hours of no sitting, no sleeping, no kidding -- is being held this weekend.

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon has been supporting the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital since 1977, and since then has raised $114 million in the fight against pediatric cancer.

The event got some attention outside of Pennsylvania from an unlikely source this week, when Kim Kardashian West Tweeted about it to her 29 million followers.

“Join the fight against pediatric cancer by donating to #THON!http://thon.org,” Kardashian West wrote. “Sending so much love to all of the dancers! #FTK”

FTK, a THON battlecry since the days before hashtags, means “For the Kids.”

THON 2014 raised a record $13,343,517.33, the organization said.

THON 2015 begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at the Bryce Jordan Center on Penn State’s University Park campus. More than 700 tired dancers will finally be able to sit down at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22.

Anyone can attend THON, providing the Bryce Jordan Center isn’t over capacity (which does happen on THON weekends). Throughout the weekend there are pep rallies with Penn State athletes and coaches and motivational speeches from Four Diamonds families. “For 46 hours, volunteers give kids and their families the opportunity to forget about their cancer diagnoses,” the organization said.

The Four Diamonds Fund “offsets the cost of treatment that insurance does not cover, as well as expenses that may affect the welfare of the child.” It supports 100 percent of the childhood cancer patients at Penn State Hershey, Four Diamonds said.

Make a donation to THON here.