UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the sixth consecutive year, the Penn State Alumni Association will sponsor the Penn State THON Pep Rally during THON Weekend 2024, set for Feb. 16-18 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Pep Rally is among the most popular events at THON, featuring multiple performances by Penn State sports teams on stage at the BJC, as well as an arena-wide Penn State “White Out,” a nod to the annual Penn State football tradition.
The Alumni Association will provide shirts to dancers and THON attendees ahead of the White Out. The design of the shirt, created by students, will be revealed in the moments before the White Out. The Alumni Association provided 12,000 shirts to participants for last year’s THON White Out.
“The Penn State Alumni Association is proud to partner with THON,” said Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford. “THON doesn’t end at graduation. THON can’t end at graduation. THON can’t end until we actually find a cure for childhood cancer, and our more than 775,000 alumni are proud to support our students in this fight.”
“The THON Pep Rally is a remarkable event filled with energy and entertainment that every spectator in the audience will remember forever,” said THON Alumni Relations Director Julia Jakuboski. “We are unbelievably grateful for the constant support of the Alumni Association. The Alumni Association helps THON make generational impacts. As our current students become alumni, the Alumni Association is the perfect display of how alumni can still support THON’s mission even after graduation.”
Since the initial THON in 1973, the Penn State community has helped to raise more than $219 million for pediatric cancer research in conjunction with Four Diamonds. Over the years, Penn State Alumni Association affiliate groups, including local chapters and interest groups, have come to play a significant role in promoting THON, raising funds, and providing additional support for the event.
One of those groups is the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group, a passionate community of alumni who have been creating opportunities to raise awareness, volunteering time, and providing philanthropic support to champion the efforts of THON since the group’s creation in 1984.
THON 2024 will feature a livestream via the Bellisario College of Communications' live broadcast, 46Live, for those who want to tune into the 46-hour dance marathon from wherever they may be located. Those interested in supporting THON can donate here.
Facebook event
All Penn Staters are invited to share photos and memories from THON on the Alumni Association's THON Facebook event page. The page will feature THON history, as well as polls, photos and other content leading up to the event.