Final canning weekend cancelled by THON
‘After reviewing potential improvements to volunteer safety surrounding Fundraising Outreach & Canning Weekends, the third weekend will be cancelled and not be rescheduled’
The third and final canning weekend of the year has been cancelled.
The original plan was for the final weekend to take place November 13-15.
The news was broken around 11am today in a letter from Executive Director Katie Mailey.
In the letter, Mailey discussed the conversations and concerns that have arisen surrounding volunteers safety following the tragic death of Tally Sepot in an accident after the first canning weekend.
“In addition to expressing concerns about travel safety, several stakeholders in the Penn State community have expressed other concerns about fundraising. This year we have received an increased number of reports from both parents and students about volunteers being pressured to fundraise for THON,” said the letter.
Mailey continues to describe an environment in which volunteers feel obligated and forced to fundraise on the three designated canning weekends. More people canning can increase the risk of accidents occuring, and THON recognized that the issues encompass more than just safety, which is why they “need more time” to mitigate risk and find a solution.
Mailey was clear to state that THON will continue to work to make sure that canning is still a viable fundraising option for THON in the upcoming years, but for now, organizations and clubs must come up with other methods to raise money for the Four Diamonds Families.
“There is still work to be done in making sure our volunteers are traveling as safely as possible. It’s important to note that this decision was not born out of any one incident. The decision to cancel the third weekend was more to pause canning as a whole and be able to present it next year in a fundamentally more safe and sustainable way,” she said.
THON will continue to come up with new methods of fundraising to offset the loss of these canning weekends, but for now the future of fundraising is clearly undergoing significant changes.
The entire letter can be read here on THON.org