I stumbled across the NJ.com article linked below the other day talking about Norman Horn and his non-profit Coast 2 Coast FTK. I was pretty excited about someone from our area not only having the adventure of his life, but also, raising awareness for childhood cancer, AND donating the proceeds to the Four Diamonds Fund. Take a look:
http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2014/03/pa_man_prepares_to_walk_across_country_for_pediatric_cancer.html
My freshman year at Penn State, I discovered the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) and my life changed forever. It is one of the main things that has made me love Penn State fiercely and made me one of the Penn State "cult" (as some might call our enthusiasm). It is the world's largest student-run philanthropy and has raised over $114 MILLION dollars for the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Children's Hospital. And while those numbers are impressive, it's hard to really convey the HEART of the whole thing to those that haven't experienced it. But, I'll try.
All year long, Penn State students fight for the right to stand up for 46 hours (48 in my time!) straight. On Canning weekends, carloads of Penn Staters set upon surrounding communities with coffee cans, and stand for hours to collect money. They send out letters to every person they know. They spread the word to anyone who will listen. The entire event is fundraised, organized and executed by students.
Some of my Phi Sigma Pi brothers on a Canning trip
One of the Public Relations Street Team trips to the Today Show
At the event, those that raised enough money will be standing, more than SEVEN HUNDRED of them. Their organizations will be supporting them, and some of those members may stand in the stands all weekend too. Not to mention the Overalls, 320 captains, and 3400 committee members that make the event possible. They will all beat the exhaustion, the pain, and the emotions of the weekend. They will do it For The Kids (FTK), because THON isn't just a dance party for college students, it's all about having fun with the Four Diamonds Families including those precious babies who are fighting cancer. It's about letting those children be kids again. When you look at those kids and imagine what they've been through, you know you'll never be as courageous as they are, so young, and facing what they face. And you know that you CAN'T quit dancing, and you can't quit trying to find a cure either.
Above and below: "Dancing" in THON 2005
P.R. Captains, THON 2006
Visiting THON 2011 with my love Janis
THON supports the Four Diamonds Fund. The fund has allocated funds for years to families to cover expenses that insurance companies won't cover, and other expenses to make their lives even a little bit easier. THON has grown so much that the funds now also go to childhood cancer research.
While THON has remained in my heart, and I have visited THON since I graduated in 2006, it's been hard to not be a part of something like that anymore, after raising funds, dancing, raising awareness, and being a Public Relations Captain during my time at Penn State. So discovering Norm's non-profit has me super jazzed!
Basically, teams are registering to match Norm's miles as he walks/hikes across the United States from April to October. Along the way, Norm is raising awareness for childhood cancer, collecting donations, and I'm sure having a great big adventure!
Our team, the Bruiser Springsteens (because we're not going to quit, and baby, we were born to walk!), has started our mission as well. We have slightly over the recommended team number of 5, but we are all still working SUPER hard and walking a ton of miles. In the process, we are getting healthier and stronger, and I would say bonding a little bit too. I'm looking forward to setting up some team walks and hikes in the future. I'm also feeling really energized, either from the walking itself, or from the excitement I feel about the challenge ahead.
A few weeks ago, when I was just starting the Coast 2 Coast FTK Challenge, I was cleaning out some boxes from college, and found a great big pile of Captain Mail from THON 2005. Dancer Mail call is ESSENTIAL for getting dancers through 46 (or 48 hours) of no sitting and no sleeping, and it was equally inspiring to get as a Captain (where you have only 2 3 hour sleep breaks, both of which I was unable to sleep during due to being sick). My mail was happy and fun, but it also reminded me of a side of myself that I don't use as often lately. People wrote about my positive attitude, and what a benefit it would be to get me through the challenging weekend. Some of my cards called me amazing and inspiring, and told me how they hoped to one day be able to do the things I had been doing for the cause. I chose a career to help people, but in my day to day, it seems normal to help someone in such a small way. I really needed the reminder of how energized, motivated, excited and happy I can be when I see a greater good to devote myself too.
So, from now until October, I'm feeling really motivated to walk, walk, walk, and to push everyone else to do so as well. We will be setting up a few small fundraisers, and I know I will be talking about Coast 2 Coast FTK to everyone I know (starting with this blog)! If you'd like to support us and the Four Diamonds Fund, please visit Coast 2 Coast FTK at http://coast2coastftk.com.
Many miles still to walk with my gold childhood cancer awareness laces!
THON on, my friends. FTK!
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