To outsiders, THON may just seem like a long year of hard work, with weird reasons to have a dance party in the middle of the HUB on a Tuesday.  Friends who have heard of THON know that it is a 46-hour not sitting, no sleeping dance marathon, but do they know all the hard work that goes into it?  After sending your family THONvelopes to help raise money, your relatives understand the cause and that the money goes to the kids, but there is so much they don't know.

            THON Weekend may only be 46 hours, but preparing for THON is a year long effort.  Cancer doesn’t stop, so neither do volunteers.  Although the donations window closes for a period of time over the summer, this does not mean volunteers are not planning events for the year to come.  There are 15 committees in total: Communications, Dancer Relations, Donor & Alumni Relations, Entertainment, Family Relations, Finance, Hospitality, Merchandise, Operations, Public Relations, Rules and Regulations (Event Safety and Volunteer Safety), Special Events, Supply Logistics, and Technology.   Between these committees THON is able to go on.

            Special Events is in charge of all of the Pre-THON events such as the THON 5K, Family Carnival and the Road to THON Celebration.  Other committees have more of a behind the scenes approach, but are just as busy.  THON could not be everything it is without help from every committee.  From donations, to counting money, to keeping the spirit alive, to producing videos, to talking to the press and building lockers for dancers during THON Weekend, there is so much that goes into this wonderful cause. 

            This year's THON will be monumental for the THON community and Entertainment committee in particular, because they will be DJ-ing the 46 hour marathon.  For five years now, THON and the Entertainment committee has been making strides to becoming a fully student run philanthropy.  Every year we had a professional DJ come in to DJ most of the Pre-THON events as well as THON weekend.  In February, THON 2015 will be the first THON run completely by students. 

            THON is making huge strides and always looking for opportunities to grow.  This is what has helped THON become the success that it is.  Beyond wanting to see a successful THON weekend with more money raised than the last, the volunteers are fully committed because of their relationships with the families and kids.  THON is truly a year long effort, with more and more students joining in the fight year after year, creating the largest student run philanthropy in the world.