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Penn State’s THON Raises More than $13 Million

UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State University community danced nonstop for 46 hours for kids like Caleb Deckman of Mountain Top. “I’m doing good. This...

UNIVERSITY PARK -- The Penn State University community danced nonstop for 46 hours for kids like Caleb Deckman of Mountain Top.

"I’m doing good. This is my sixth year cancer free," said Deckman.

Thousands of people packed the Bryce Jordan Center in State College for the university's annual THON event, a fundraiser that helps fight pediatric cancer.

"I just hope the kids that have cancer can live a good life and be cancer-free," said Deckman.

Kids like Caleb and other Four Diamond Fund families shared their stories.

"We just watched a bunch of videos of different kids and we were bawling our eyes out, hugging, singing. It's emotional, but it's great at the same time," said Sabrina Krupko, a student at Penn State Hazleton.

More than 15,000 students from around the commonwealth volunteer for the event, and about 700 of those students hit the dance floor.

"Everybody always talks about the perspectives of what these families go through, so to kind of sit of those shoes for a day and learn it first hand, plus it also puts you on an emotional level with the families, it's cool," said Dan Fratoni, a Penn State senior and THON dancer.

The crowd at the BJC wait for the biggest moment of the weekend, the total reveal.

This year, the event broke another record raising $13,343,517.33.

Most of that money will go to the Four Diamond Fund and Penn State Hersey Medical Center's Children Hospital to fund research for pediatric cancer.

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