Penn State students tackle dance marathon

SHARON, Pa. -- Jason Allay of New Castle and Brad Rank of Sharon spent last weekend standing on their feet for 48 hours at the Bryce Jordan Center at Pennsylvania State University's University Park Campus in State College, Pa.
It was for a good cause. The two students at Penn State Shenango were representing their campus, along with 718 other dancers from across the Penn State system, at the annual Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, more commonly referred to as THON.
THON raises money for The Four Diamonds Fund, an organization that helps families of children with cancer pay for expenses related to treating the disease.
Penn State Shenango raised 3,900 for this year's event through a variety of projects, including a Valentine's Day basket raffle and a Bowl-A-THON.
This marked THON's 34th year. The event raised 5,240,385 overall -- a new record -- and more than 1 million more than last year.
The dance marathon has raised nearly 40 million for The Four Diamonds Fund, which started as a dance competition in 1973 but became a full-fledged charitable effort in 1977.
Allay and Rank were accompanied by a team of support people from Penn State Shenango whose job it was to keep them motivated and moving during the 48 hours.