February 25, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 34 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H2049-H2050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PENN STATE'S THON 2019

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on February 15, thousands 
of students from my alma mater, Penn State University, participated in 
a 46-hour dance marathon called THON.
  THON is the accumulation of a yearlong fundraising effort to raise 
money for the fight against childhood cancer. Since the first THON took 
place in the mid-1970s, students have raised more than $157 million.
  All of the proceeds go to the Four Diamonds at Penn State University 
Children's Hospital. Four Diamonds ensures that families who are 
battling pediatric cancer are not faced with any costs, allowing them 
to fully focus on the needs of their child.
  During the THON event, participants stand and dance 46 hours 
straight, without sleep. THON gives students the chance to stand in 
solidarity with those affected by this terrible disease.
  Mr. Speaker, every year, THON is the largest student-run philanthropy 
in the world; and every year, I am in awe of the passion and 
thoughtfulness that

[[Page H2050]]

our Penn State students have for this great cause.

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