Memories of Place – THON
If you have not had time to read my last post on places, people and things, this post might be considered a comment or continuation of that post or considered on its own. This is a place I remember that, in one way or another, some members of our Group shared. I wonder what they remember.
This is another memory of place that speaks to the spirit of our ‘front porch’ work. My alma mater, Penn State, is the home of the largest student run philanthropic organization in the world – THON. It is a year long perennial project involving over 15,000 students in activities designed to raise money and provide emotional support for families battling childhood cancer. At the end of each year their efforts culminate every February in THON weekend – a 46 hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon. As part of our ‘heart work’ in the Center for Professional Excellence, we planted the seed for a THON-like effort at UTSA that we called FTK -For the Kids. We developed the leadership for FTK in our Leadership Challenge program. When we were still with the University, every year we took our Leadership Challenge class to Penn State for THON weekend so they could see what was possible and come closer together as a community through an unrivaled spiritual experience of the beauty and goodness in the hearts of people given the right context.
I wonder what memories the students who made the Penn State trip with me and Cindy have of their THON experience and our unique time together. During the 46 hour THON weekend, there are 18,000 students present in the Bryce Jordan Center on campus. It is a celebration of life. The noise can be deafening until the very end when that noise comes to a complete silence as they host Family Hour where families speak about their struggles with this horrible and deadly disease and thank the students for their efforts. Family Hour concludes with an angel video showing those children who were lost, but remembered in spirit. I promise you that there is never a dry eye in the house at this point as everyone remembers why they dance. Just thinking about it now, my eyes are not dry.
There is so much good in each of us, but all we see and hear anymore seems to mask that goodness. To me THON is pure love and an expression of our best possibilities as human beings in community. As the angel video ends, this song has become the iconic memory of THON for me. During this pandemic, it seems also like a fitting tribute to the first responders and so-called essential workers who are our life-line in crisis, but too often go unnoticed in our normal busyness.
