Beaver

Penn State Beaver dancers prepare to take to THON dance floor

This year 13 fellow students will accompany the campus' two dancers to support them in THON Weekend 2026

Penn State Beaver students cheer on dancers during the 2025 THON event. Credit: Penn State Beaver / Penn State. Creative Commons

MONACA — Two dancers from Penn State Beaver are preparing to head to the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park to participate in a 46-hour dance marathon on Feb. 20-22.

Fourth-year student Katrina Elder and second-year student Lillian Momyer will represent the campus at THON, the largest student-run philanthropy in the world that is dedicated to spreading awareness, funding research and providing support to children affected by childhood cancer.

This is the second year Elder will dance at the annual event.

“I am dancing for something bigger than all of us, and something that takes all of us to win, the fight against childhood cancer,” Elder said. “I'm also excited to, yet again, 'Dance FTK!' The opportunity to dance for a second time means so much because THON is truly a surreal experience beyond words. The power in the room and the feeling of unity is beyond anything I've ever experienced.”

Thirteen students from the campus will attend THON with Elder and Momyer to show their support and cheer the dancers on throughout the weekend.

THON fundraising has been led at the Beaver campus by Auriane Pommier, the chair of Beaver Benefitting THON who has organized various fundraising efforts on campus including raffle basked sales and a "3’s for THON" basketball competition.

Their efforts have raised $10,000 so far, but the team said it is hoping to raise more before the end of the weekend.

More information about THON Weekend 2026 can be found in this story on Penn State News.