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Berks Benefiting THON to host second annual Polar Plunge

Penn State Berks benefiting THON, a student organization, is inviting the community to take the “Polar Plunge” to raise funds for THON, the world's largest student-run philanthropy dedicated to supporting children with pediatric cancer and their families, at 11 a.m. on Jan. 29 at the beach at Blue Marsh Lake. Attendees may register in advance by Jan. 15 for $20 or on the day of the event for $25.

THON raises more than $6.6 million

THON broke all records this year, raising more than $6 million and bringing the total raised since its inception to more than $50 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. The actual total raised was $6,615,318.04. "We went crazy when we saw the total," said dancer Allie DiCastro. "It's such a rewarding experience. It's something I'll have for the rest of my life." Fellow dancer Tina Clavvers agreed. "At times it definitely felt more difficult than we thought. But the last two hours we spent a lot of time with our families. When I got to dance with my THON child near the end it brought it all home and gave me lots of energy," she said. For a small sampling of photos from Friday, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1596 online; from Saturday, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1597 online; and from Sunday, including the total, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1598 online. For a larger collection of photos covering much of the activity from THON 08, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1599 online. For photos from THON Express, a 135- mile run that began at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and ended on Feb. 22 at the Bryce Jordan Center, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1595 online.