Students make an impact on and off the dance floor through Outreach and THON

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Kellyn Roth’s graduate studies have helped improve child support services for families across Pennsylvania. Rayner Raynor has spent his undergraduate years guiding elementary school students through immersive experiences in nature. Together, the two Penn State students joined more than 16,500 of their peers in channeling that same passion for service into THON’s fight against childhood cancer.

Their commitment at THON reflects the work they’ve been doing all along through Penn State Outreach. Roth applies her business analytics training at the Justice and Safety Institute (JASI), supporting the statewide training of child support enforcement workers. Raynor mentors young learners through Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center’s Outdoor School program. Their stories show how THON’s spirit of community and care is woven into Outreach programs that prepare students to make a meaningful difference across the commonwealth.

That shared drive to lift others up, serve families and strengthen communities forms the foundation of both students’ Penn State experiences. And while they found very different pathways through Outreach, their journeys share a common thread: how hands‑on work at JASI and Shaver’s Creek shaped the values they carried with them at THON.

“Every day you are trying to make an impact”

As one of the more than 700 Penn State students who did everything they could to dance, move and stay on their feet for 46 hours straight to help fight childhood cancer during THON 2026, Roth said she kept telling herself one thing when things got hard.

“There were times when I was struggling. My feet hurt, I was tired and I wanted to stop. But I just kept reminding myself that if these children can go through chemotherapy and battle cancer, then I can stand for 46 hours in solidarity,” Roth said. “This has been the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. To have been a part of this experience that is so much bigger than myself is something I will always remember.”

Over those 46 hours, Roth said, she danced to honor her grandfather who died of cancer. She danced to be a part of the Penn State community that comes together every year to raise money and support families struggling with something that no one should have to endure, especially a child.

And she danced for the Jeremiah Reedy family, the Four Diamonds family that she has gotten to know through her volunteer work with Eclipse, a Penn State student-run nonprofit that fundraises for THON, Roth said.

At just three years old, Jeremiah was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. After enduring 67 weeks of chemotherapy, 22 rounds of radiation and many appointments and hospital stays, which was supported by Four Diamonds, Jeremiah celebrated five years in remission this past October.

“Just being able to get to know their family and being able to be involved with THON and give back has been a huge part of my college experience,” Roth said. “Being able to make that impact is really important to me, and it means something when you get to meet the families and hear their stories and build these experiences with these kids. Knowing that these families are going through something unimaginable really puts things in perspective.”

Roth’s selfless efforts were the culmination of months of fundraising and years of volunteering with Eclipse. As one of five dancers, Roth and her team at Eclipse generated $89,845.86 toward the record total of more than $18.8 million raised by Penn State students for Four Diamonds during THON 2026.

Making this kind of impact goes hand-in-hand with Roth’s Penn State experience as a graduate assistant who is working toward a master’s degree in business analytics through the Smeal College of Business. In her role with JASI, she puts the skills she learned in the classroom to work by helping to maintain the quality of the training materials for the Pennsylvania Child Support Enforcement Training Institute (PACSETI). She said the tools she is developing with PACSETI will be beneficial as she continues in her field.

“It is really unique to be able to see how many steps go into developing content like this and delivering training in an online education space,” Roth said. “So, being to be able to be a part of a long-term project and seeing how different pieces of the puzzle play into that, is an experience that I have not had before and will be super-useful as I continue my career.”

In partnership with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Child Support Enforcement, PACSETI training is offered free of charge to nearly 3,000 child-support workers to help Pennsylvania families receive the child support services they need and children receive the financial support they are owed, which strengthens the overall well-being of children and their families.

So, much like her efforts with THON, Roth is working to make sure that children are getting the support they need during a difficult time. she said. For Roth, it all comes down to one thing.

“One of the reasons I got involved with THON, and something that I want to prioritize in my career down the line, is making an impact on people and on the world,” Roth said. “In my work with Outreach and JASI, every day you are trying to make an impact in Pennsylvania and for the people who live here. Just to improve their lives in some way. That is just a value of mine and being able to give back like that is a top priority for me.”

“It really is all about community for me”

Finding a community that makes an impact has been Raynor’s goal ever since he arrived at Penn State, he said. He found just that through Shaver’s Creek and THON.

Raised outside of Philadelphia, Raynor came to Penn State as a computer science major who never spent much time outdoors. After getting involved in the Penn State Outing Club, he eventually became a counselor at Shaver’s Creek’s Outdoor School, a week-long residential program for upper elementary school children.

“I haven’t looked back since,” said Raynor. “It really left a profound impact on me. I thought I didn’t want to work with kids. I thought the outdoors were scary, and a week later, I thought it was this magical thing that you should share with others. Being able to share that experience with young people has been extremely impactful.”

Since that first week, Raynor has been involved with Outdoor School for three seasons and has changed his major to environmental resource management in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He said the program has helped him find his path in life and given him the tools and opportunity to make a difference for the next generation.

“For me the beauty of being a part of this is that I get to know that these children that we are teaching and the ones that we are sharing our love of the outdoors with supports the local communities within the region, which is really awesome,” Raynor said.

At the same time, he said, while he was a freshman, Raynor experienced THON for the first time, and he knew he needed to be involved.

“I was just in tears. It was kind of the same thing as Outdoors School. There is an energy in these events that kind of takes hold of your attention,” Raynor said. “You look around and you see all of these different people who have come together for a common goal, and it is beautiful. It really is all about community for me.”

Since then, he has served on THON committees every year, volunteering for the OPPerations Committee, which creates and maintains a safe and healthy environment for families and volunteers, and the Supply Logistics Committee, which acquirers all in-kind donations. Through these experiences he saw how one person can make a difference by working with others.

“Being a part of THON has shown me it is all about the little things, because it is all broken up in a way that is structured, but we are all acting together to help these families,” said Raynor. “It has been very inspiring to be a part of it.”

Through Shaver’s Creek and THON, Raynor said he was able to build two strong networks that have helped him fulfill the goal he came to Penn State with and prepared him to continue making an impact after he graduates this spring.

“When I came here, all I wanted to do was learn how I could help the world. Then you really get to see it and do it through these organizations and programs that Penn State has,” Raynor said. “I never would have thought that as a college student that I could have made such a positive impact on the world. I am just surprised and overwhelmed with gratitude that I have been able to be a part of THON and Shaver’s Creek and have this amazing impact on communities.”

Visit the Penn State Outreach website to learn more about how students can make an impact and gain hands-on experience through JASI, Shaver’s Creek and other Outreach programs.