Let’s be clear.
We’re not here to suggest that THON — the Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon — is about numbers.
At its heart, THON is about a cause: fighting and conquering pediatric cancer.
But numbers go a long way in illustrating the sheer magnitude of THON, billed as the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. (The 2011 marathon will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the Bryce Jordan Center.)
There are the basic numbers: More than 700 dancers stay on their feet — awake — for 46 hours. Roughly 15,000 Penn State student volunteers contribute in one way or another. And over more than three decades, the effort has raised more than $69 million to support pediatric-cancer treatment and research.
But there are also the less-obvious numbers. Consider: How many pizzas will all those dancers eat this weekend? How much baby powder — a real source of comfort — do they go through? How much ‘mail’ do they get?
We wanted to show that quantified side of THON. With thanks to StateCollege.com interns Sarah Daly, Dana Reeser and Matthew Groves, plus columnist Mike the Mailman, here’s what we found out:
- Some 700 pizza pies will be delivered and consumed at the Jordan Center during THON. Ten meals will be provided for each of the dancers. Staples for the event include 2,450 soft pretzels; more than 600 gallons of water (plus water bottles); 2,100 chicken fingers; 9,000 forks; and 13,000 plates.
- Dancers will use up 23 cases of baby powder to ease their aches and pains. Twenty containers are in each case.
- They’ll go through enough rolls of toilet paper to cover the Beaver Stadium field — twice.
- THON ‘mail’ — the greetings prepared for THON dancers in advance of the event — amounted to 16,000 letters and 2,600 packages at THON 2010.
- Volunteers who spend the weekend at the Jordan Center get to take ‘sleep shifts.’ Eighty-two beds are provided for those shifts; 275 volunteer captains are scheduled to get some winks.
- Decorating the information booths on the Jordan Center’s concourse level involved four giant paper rolls, 510 pieces of construction paper, hundreds of markers, nine half-gallons of paint, 50 paint brushes and one hula hoop.
- Three thousand safety pins have been secured for committee volunteers’ badges.
- More than 6,000 THON merchandise orders have been placed through the THON Store website.
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