It is only fitting that on World Cancer Day, we support a cause that is near and dear to our heart…..@THON. It was just over a year ago that @abolishcancer was just starting as an organization. Last January a Penn State University junior decided to sponsor one of our Twitterthons. Eighteen hours and 1,734 followers later….a "movement" was born.
@PatHowley’s sponsorship captured the attention of celebrities and a huge extended @THON family. We realized after this event the power of people to connect for a common cause, in this case, to eradicate childhood cancer.
Thirteen months later it’s only fitting that we once again sponsor a Twitterthon to raise awareness and $ to support our great friends at @THON. With the help of the dedicated team of PSU @THON Captains we have once again secured a sponsor for today’s Twitterthon through the help of Real Christian Business Associates.
Today, for every new follower of @abolishcancer, $1 will be donated to @THON to help fight pediatric cancer (up to $3,500)
About @THON
The Penn State Dance Marathon, affectionately known as THON, is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. THON is a yearlong fundraising effort, culminating in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon. The mission of the Penn State Dance Marathon is to conquer pediatric cancer by providing outstanding emotional and financial support to the children, families, researchers and staff of The Four Diamonds Fund.
The partnership between THON and The Four Diamonds Fund began in 1977. Throughout the past 33 years, THON has donated more than $69 million to The Fund. Thanks to the support and dedication of THON, no child diagnosed with cancer at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital has ever been turned away by The Four Diamonds Fund. The Fund offsets the cost of treatment that a family’s health insurance does not cover as a well as non-medical costs, including food, specialists, a music therapist, a nutritionist, nurses, a psychologist and researchers, in addition to other hospital staff including child life specialists and social workers.
Charles and Irma Millard founded The Four Diamonds Fund in 1972 after they lost their 14-year-old son, Christopher to cancer. The Fund’s name comes from a story Christopher wrote, The Four Diamonds. Christopher believed that the four “diamonds’-courage, wisdom, honesty and strength-were necessary traits to overcome cancer. Today, the mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer pediatric cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support and innovative research.
Since The Fund was established, survival rates for some cancers have increased to 90 percent due to continuous support of pediatric cancer research. Each year, THON is the largest donor to The Four Diamonds Fund, raising more than $7.83 million in 2010. This year, THON will take place from February 18th-20th at the Bryce Jordan Center.
You can help support the wonderful work of THON by donating at www.THON.org.
Today's TwitterTHON
We start the day with 43,630 followers with the hopes of gaining 3,500 new members of our movement which will equal $3,500 to support @THON. We, at @abolishcancer, believe in the "Power of the People" to unite for the common cause of ending cancer. We believe there is strength in numbers and combining forces with the THON community gets us that much closer to one day finding a cure......#ForTheKids!
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