Outside the BJC: The true reach of THON 2016

200,000 people in 81 countries ‘stood’ with us to dance for a cure

There is nothing quite like being in the crowd the very first time the line dance is revealed at THON. Seeing the stands begin to fill and the dancers crowd the floor is something unmatched. When you’re inside, you’re a part of a distinct THON-world, and you forget about everything else other than taking in the immenseness of what is around you. THON is a big deal to us at Penn State. But, it wasn’t until this year at THON that I got to see how big the Penn State family really is.

I got the opportunity to be a part of an absolutely incredible team of people, 46 Live, who put on the live webcast of THON. So when the dancers stood that’s when our clock started to roll and the pressure was on because as long as people were watching THON, they were watching us, too. We did have some blunders (And, we are SO sorry for those again!), but the continued support we received was absolutely amazing to me.

At one point in the weekend, I was tasked with the job of social media producer for all the 46 Live accounts, so Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This was the pivotal moment for me. Interacting with viewers watching the webcast and seeing the response from viewers from all over the country, and world, made me finally see how far THON really reached.

It’s not an event that can be tied to just Penn State, even though it all culminates under the one roof of the BJC. And it was after receiving tweets like this to the 46 Live Twitter account that I saw how powerful the event was to people and how much it really mattered.

Whether folks were tuning in to see a family member or friend perform, a family speak, or just to support us crazy Penn Staters in our large-scale philanthropy, this event mattered to people, and they were showing their support. This made my ever-burning love for Penn State grow even more, because I saw the strength of our numbers in action.

By the end of the weekend, one of the producers had shared with us this tweet:

This wasn’t just the capacity of the BJC, and this wasn’t just Penn State. This event, THON, was an effort experienced by almost 200,000 unique viewers from 81 countries. I still can’t wrap my head around it. I just want everyone to take a minute to really let this sink in and realize the powerful impact that we, and THON, have. Every single person involved in THON in any capacity should be so incredibly proud that they were able to have some piece of contributing to the huge number of people that tuned into, and became involved in THON. Without the enormous efforts made by everyone in this student body (including alumni), this could not have been even remotely possible.

So, I leave this as a thank you. A thank you to 46 Live, for giving me one of the most memorable experiences I will have had at Penn State and giving me a whole different view at THON. And, seriously, I’ll never forget this view.

A thank you to Penn State and all of those involved with THON, because even though we put immense pressure on ourselves to always beat our previous total, the help that we give to these families, and children, that need it is something we can never take away from ourselves.

And finally, a thank you to viewers everywhere for your continuous support. Without all of you we would never be able to achieve what we have as a student body. Our success depends on the engagement and interest of everyone outside our little Happy Valley, and on behalf of everyone here at Penn State, I say we couldn’t be more grateful and thank you. Congratulations to Penn State and all of the money raised this year. FTK.

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