Community invited to support THON at Dancer Send-off Dinner, Hair Auction

Left to right, Penn State DuBois THON Dancers for 2019, Jamie Turner, Tristen Bressler, and KJ Long.

Left to right, Penn State DuBois THON dancers for 2019, Jamie Turner, Tristen Bressler and K.J. Long.

Credit: Penn State

All members of the community are invited to help support the efforts of THON by attending the Dancer Send-off Dinner and Hair Auction planned for Thursday, Feb. 14, in the student union at Penn State DuBois. This event celebrates this year’s Penn
State DuBois THON Dancers, K.J. Long, Tristen Bressler, and Jamie Turner, who will travel to University Park that evening to prepare for THON Weekend. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and a spaghetti dinner starts at 6 p.m.

The evening will also feature a silent auction, and a hair auction, during which those in the audience place bids in order to raise enough money for the volunteers to get their hair cut. Each volunteer has set a minimum amount that has to be reached in order for them to lose their locks. Volunteering to get their hair cut for the cause this year are THON Dancers Bressler and Turner, student Heather Witherow, student Cody McClintick and 10-year-old Brianna Brubaker, daughter of Marcie Brubaker, campus assistant student engagement coordinator. Penn State Altoona student Madyson Hetzler will also join those from DuBois to have her hair cut. Hetzler is following the example of her sister, Jacqueline, who is a Penn State DuBois alumna who participated in the hair auction when she was a student.

Bressler, Turner and Long will officially represent Penn State DuBois as the designated campus dancers at THON 2019 set for Feb. 15 through 17, at the Bryce Jordan Center at the University Park campus of Penn State. They have been challenged to stay on their feet for 46 hours during the dance marathon, alongside thousands of students from all Penn State Locations.

Each year, THON, Penn State's Dance Marathon, raises millions of dollars for the Four Diamonds Fund. The event's sole beneficiary, and a leader in the fight against pediatric cancer, the Four Diamonds Fund fills in the funding gaps that insurance leaves for the patients it serves, enabling families to focus on caring for their child. Because of large donors like THON, Penn State Hershey Hospital recruits world-class talent to continue innovative research, and to maintain and expand the state-of-the-art Children’s Hospital.

The cost to attend this event is $5 per Penn State Student, $15 for a nonstudent single admission, and $25 per couple. All proceeds benefit THON. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP online at https://dubois.psu.edu/form/psu-dubois-thon or to Ann Whyte at [email protected] or 814-372-3011.