Penn State’s Thon to phase out fund-raising trips

Starting this fall, Pennsylvania State University students once again will be seen throughout the region holding cans and soliciting donations for Thon, the world's largest student-run philanthropy, a benefit for childhood cancer victims and research.

But the return of "canning" will be short-lived — and conducted under new rules. Thon leaders, in consultation with the university, have decided to phase out canning by 2019.

The decision follows the death of a student in a car accident last September as she and six others were returning from a canning weekend in Chester County. Canning has been suspended since that accident while student leaders and the university contemplated its safety.

Vitalya Sepot of Branford, Conn., was the second student to die in a car accident during a canning weekend. Courtney O'Bryan of Huntington, N.Y., died on a trip in December 2011 when the car in which she was riding hit black ice and flipped.

"We recognize the role that canning has long played in our tradition and culture," wrote Thon student leaders Katie Mailey and Austin Sommerer. "Not only does it raise funds and spread awareness to thousands in the region, but it serves as an opportunity for many of our volunteers to feel connected to Thon's mission in a concrete way."

But they noted that canning posed safety risks for students, and "in conversations with Penn State Student Affairs and the Office of University Development, the decision to eliminate canning was a difficult but necessary decision in the best interest of Thon and its volunteers moving forward."

All students participating in canning this fall must complete an online safety course, and their drivers must register and complete an online driving safety course as well, Thon leaders announced. The organization also has banned canning at intersections, so students will not be stepping into the street to collect donations. They will be stationed at storefronts.

The group also has arranged for alternative transportation to major cities, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New York.

The eventual elimination of canning will end a long-standing tradition of 15,000 student volunteers hitting neighborhoods from Boston to Washington on designated canning weekends.

Student leaders say fund-raising from canning has remained relatively stagnant while other methods have shown growth. Online giving, for example, has increased by 32 percent, they said.

But the loss of canning was felt in this year's collection total. Students raised $9.77 million, down from just over $13 million last year.

Thon — officially the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon — raises money all year in myriad ways, including letter-writing, door-to-door solicitation, bake sales, and benefit dinners. It culminates in its main event, the dance marathon on the university's main campus in February.

Since 1977, Thon has brought in more than $127 million for families of children with cancer and for pediatric cancer research.

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